The famous photo of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was only found missing last Friday at Ottawa’s Fairmont Chateau Laurier, was allegedly stolen over the past holiday season.
allegedly stolen during the last holiday season.
Last Friday, an employee of the castle noticed an incongruity with the frame surrounding the famous photo of Mr Churchill taken by renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh. The estate of the renowned photographer confirmed on Saturday that the photo had been replaced by a fake, without anyone knowing.
“Thanks to the photos received since the beginning of the interviews from the population, we were able to establish a period between December 25, 2021 and January 6, 2022”, indicated Stéphanie Trottier, the marketing director of Château Laurier, at the ‘QMI Agency on Tuesday.
This invites the population to send photos taken in the Reading Lounge, where the photo of Mr. Churchill was exposed, in an attempt to establish when exactly it was replaced.
An iconic photo
World famous, the photo of the British strongman was taken in 1941, during the Second World War, during a visit by the Prime Minister to Canada.
Mr. Churchill had been surprised to learn that he was going to participate in a photo session on the sidelines of his meeting with his Canadian counterpart, William Lyon Mackenzie King, hence his exhausted look.
“His vexed gaze, […] the meticulous and magical light makes this photo, and all of Karsh’s photos, recognized worldwide,” photographer Heidi Hollinger told TVA Nouvelles.
According to her, the original copy of the stolen photo could be worth between $20,000 and $25,000.
In his eyes, the photo would have been stolen by “someone who just wants to brag in front of his friends, someone very rich.”
Nevertheless, this theft raises questions. “We always said that it was well exposed, in a safe way. There you can ask questions. There are many mysteries. Are we going to ask for a ransom? Was it an art collector who ordered this theft?” asked Michel Prévost, president of the Outaouais Historical Society and former chief archivist of the University of Ottawa. .
Ms. Hollinger is hardly surprised that the theft went unnoticed.
“The reproductions now are amazing. The quality of the photos is so “sharp”. I think people must have just looked into Churchill’s eyes and not looked around,” she said.
Ottawa police have confirmed they are following the case
“The Ottawa Police Criminal Investigations Unit, Central Division, is investigating and no further details are available at this time,” she said.