Sir Winston Churchill photograph stolen.

It always surprised me when I'd visit the Chateau Laurier and there was the Churchill photo (along with other Karsh portraits) just hanging there near the lobby. I seem to recall that the Churchill was in an area between the lobby and the bar.
 
$20k or what would the value be? Is there a black market for such things as there had to be numerous prints sold by Karsh back in the day, which would make the print less valuable, more in the low thousands without proof/provenance that it was in the particular location for years?

Or do you think a brave photo collector liberated it and saved it from corporate ownership?

Usually pictures of despots and warmongers are pretty valuable.
 
It is said that Churchill did not enjoy having this picture taken at all, hence the expression. I don't know what he thought of the result but it might well have gone the way of the Sutherland portrait if he could have arranged it.

He had a certain sort of taste. I believe his wife had a black Leica III when visiting the Middle East. This sets her apart from that flashy Mrs Simpson who is often shown holding (inexpertly) an 'oh so nouvelle' chrome Leica, really just not the thing at all...
 
As the articles states (and as he recounts below), Karsh plucked a cigar from Churchill’s mouth and walked back and took the picture.

I saw some Karsh portraits at the MFA Boston and they were quite striking.
 
The original is the negative. For the insurance money they could order two new prints; one to hang on the wall and one as a backup.
 
According to this article, the negative was donated to Library and Archives Canada:

The Karsh Collection


Between 1987 and 1998, Library and Archives of Canada acquired the outstanding Yousuf Karsh Collection of over 300,000 negatives, photographic prints and transparencies, representing the creative oeuvre of his 60-year career. In addition, the collection contains business papers from Karsh's Ottawa studio, philatelic projects, art work, personal correspondence, scrapbooks, awards and honours, and recorded interviews. The Yousuf Karsh Collection not only offers researchers a comprehensive view of the life and work of an internationally celebrated Canadian photographer, it also speaks to the long-standing special role of Library and Archives Canada in preserving major cultural archives and portraiture of national significance for all Canadians.

Most of the collection is housed at the LAC Preservation Centre, a state-of-the-art facility, with fragile early negative materials placed in cool off-site storage. All items are carefully arranged and optimally stored in customized acid-free archival containers, and the work of digitizing them for preservation and future reference purposes has begun. Karsh's cameras and studio equipment are preserved by the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

Works from the Karsh Collection have frequently been loaned for exhibition nationally and internationally, and are available for consultation and research at the Archives and online via the Web site.
Click to expand...
 
JPD said:
The original is the negative. For the insurance money they could order two new prints; one to hang on the wall and one as a backup.
Click to expand...

That assumes that the photo was insured, and that it has been appropriately re-valued for a rapidly increasing photo market.

There is also a substantial difference between modern and vintage prints, both in terms of value and aesthetic qualities. A new one would be a good replacement, but the papers the negative was printed on at the time are different to silver papers now, and the print would be different.

Edit: I've seen this print in the hotel, and similar to Vince was always surprised it was just there on the wall.

Marty
 
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