Yousuf Karsh Sculpture, Ottawa, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Yousuf Karsh Sculpture in Ottawa honours one of Canada's most celebrated portrait photographers, a refugee who became the person world leaders wanted to be photographed by. It stands in the area between Byward Market and Parliament Hill, close to where Karsh made his most famous image, the 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill.

The story behind it

Yousuf Karsh survived the Armenian genocide in Turkey and came to Canada as a refugee. Through hard work and determination he built a career as a photographer, and over the decades he made portraits of political leaders, artists and scientists that became a lasting record of the twentieth century.

His best-known picture is the 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill, titled The Roaring Lion. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King arranged the sitting, which took place on December 30, 1941, just after Churchill addressed the Parliament of Canada on the war. The famous scowl has a simple explanation: moments before the shutter clicked, Karsh removed the cigar from Churchill's mouth, and the British leader was not pleased.

What to look for

• Look at how the sculpture presents Karsh himself, the man behind the camera rather than the famous faces he photographed.
• Think of the Churchill portrait as you stand here, and notice how close you are to Parliament Hill, where Churchill gave his speech that day.
• Notice the surroundings: the sculpture sits between the busy Byward Market and the Hill, so you can compare the two very different sides of downtown Ottawa.
• Look for any plaque or text near the piece, which is a good place to read more about the photographer and his work.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 10 minutes for the sculpture itself, longer if you want to read up on Karsh and his portraits.
• Pair it with a walk to Parliament Hill, which is a short distance away, and with a wander through Byward Market for food and coffee.
• Daylight is best for seeing the details and taking photographs, and early morning is usually quieter than midday.
• If you plan to visit any nearby building or exhibition, check current opening hours before you go.

See it on a quest

You can reach the sculpture on foot as one stop of The Cardinal Disappearance: Shadows of Downtown Ottawa, a self-guided quest through the downtown core. The app leads you from place to place, tells you about each one as you arrive, and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a good way to see this stop together with the streets around it, with no guide and no group to join. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.