Yousuf Karsh

Known for: formal portrait photography of world leaders and cultural figures

Yousuf Karsh arrived in Canada as a refugee in 1924 and became one of the most sought-after portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill — taken after Karsh removed the Prime Minister's cigar from his mouth without permission — became one of the most widely published photographs in history. Over his career he photographed nearly every significant public figure of the postwar era.