More Karsh...

I have discovered some more photographs by the Armenian/Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh. Several of them are of well-known figures, but some of them are new to me. For example, has anyone heard of Dr Hans Selye?


And can anyone tell me who this man is?

Dr Robert Oppenheimer famously declared 'I am death.' This picture must have been taken after he was persecuted by Senator McCarthy into accepting a minor academic position in an American university, as the Oppenheimer of A-bomb fame had jet black hair.

This man's brand of horror was slightly more innocuous...

Peter Lore looks magnificently creepy in this moodily-lit portrait.

Devotees of the French Horn will be familiar with the name Barry Tuckwell. This stunning photo is of his sister Patricia, taken in 1947.

Finally, here is a portrait of Vivien Leigh...


I never understood why she was regarded as such a beauty until I saw this picture. At first glance it seems a very conventional pose, but notice how Karsh has manipulated the depth of field so that whilst the front of Leigh's face in in focus, the ears are blur.