Ernest Hemingway & Yousuf Karsh in Cuba, Ex. Karsh Estate
Ernest Hemingway
n.p., n.d. [ca. 1957]
Ernest Hemingway & Yousuf Karsh in Cuba, Ex. Karsh Estate
Photograph
A semi-gloss black and white photographic print of Ernest Hemingway with Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), retained in his personal collection. 1p on fiber-based paper, measuring 8" x 10", n.p., n.d. [ca. 1957]. Featuring a copyright handstamp from Karsh's Ottawa studio at middle verso, captioned below in an unknown hand: "Ernest Hemingway and Yousuf Karsh, 'Finca Vigia,' Havanna [sic], Cuba, 1957." Bearing an official estate label of provenance above, easily removable if desired. Faint wear to all four corners, with light edge curling present. Negligible surface scratches. Else, near fine.
Karsh Estate Provenance: Held by the Estate of Yousuf & Estrellita Karsh; after Yousuf’s death in 2002 passing to Estrellita Karsh; after Estrellita’s death in March 2025 passing to Katherine Getchell, Co-Executor, Estrellita Karsh Estate and Personal Representative of Estrellita Karsh.
Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002) is recognized as one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century. Arriving in Canada in 1924 as an Armenian refugee, Karsh eventually settled in Ottawa. Over six decades, he mastered the art of portraiture and created a unique chronicle of his time through images of celebrated legends. Some of his most notable subjects include Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Ernest Hemingway, among others. A celebrity in his own right, he was an elegant and charming public figure, captivating audiences with compelling stories told in images and words. Karsh sought to capture, as he put it, the “elusive moment of truth,” revealing the essential nature of his subjects as reflected in their eyes, hands, and attitudes.
When asked about this sitting with Hemingway, Karsh is quoted as saying:
“I expected to meet in the author a composite of the heroes of his novels. Instead, in 1957, at his home Finca Vigía, near Havana, I found a man of peculiar gentleness, the shyest man I ever photographed - a man cruelly battered by life, but seemingly invincible. He was still suffering from the effects of a plane accident that occurred during his fourth safari to Africa. I had gone the evening before to La Floridita, Hemingway’s favorite bar, to do my ‘homework’ and sample his favorite concoction, the daiquiri. But one can be overprepared! When, at nine the next morning, Hemingway called from the kitchen, ‘What will you have to drink?’ my reply was, I thought, letter-perfect: ‘Daiquiri, sir.’ ‘Good God, Karsh,’ Hemingway remonstrated, ‘at this hour of the day!’”
This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.
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8" x 10"
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Ernest Hemingway
n.p., n.d. [ca. 1957]
Ernest Hemingway & Yousuf Karsh in Cuba, Ex. Karsh Estate
Photograph
A semi-gloss black and white photographic print of Ernest Hemingway with Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002), retained in his personal collection. 1p on fiber-based paper, measuring 8" x 10", n.p., n.d. [ca. 1957]. Featuring a copyright handstamp from Karsh's Ottawa studio at middle verso, captioned below in an unknown hand: "Ernest Hemingway and Yousuf Karsh, 'Finca Vigia,' Havanna [sic], Cuba, 1957." Bearing an official estate label of provenance above, easily removable if desired. Faint wear to all four corners, with light edge curling present. Negligible surface scratches. Else, near fine.
Karsh Estate Provenance: Held by the Estate of Yousuf & Estrellita Karsh; after Yousuf’s death in 2002 passing to Estrellita Karsh; after Estrellita’s death in March 2025 passing to Katherine Getchell, Co-Executor, Estrellita Karsh Estate and Personal Representative of Estrellita Karsh.
Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002) is recognized as one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century. Arriving in Canada in 1924 as an Armenian refugee, Karsh eventually settled in Ottawa. Over six decades, he mastered the art of portraiture and created a unique chronicle of his time through images of celebrated legends. Some of his most notable subjects include Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Ernest Hemingway, among others. A celebrity in his own right, he was an elegant and charming public figure, captivating audiences with compelling stories told in images and words. Karsh sought to capture, as he put it, the “elusive moment of truth,” revealing the essential nature of his subjects as reflected in their eyes, hands, and attitudes.
When asked about this sitting with Hemingway, Karsh is quoted as saying:
“I expected to meet in the author a composite of the heroes of his novels. Instead, in 1957, at his home Finca Vigía, near Havana, I found a man of peculiar gentleness, the shyest man I ever photographed - a man cruelly battered by life, but seemingly invincible. He was still suffering from the effects of a plane accident that occurred during his fourth safari to Africa. I had gone the evening before to La Floridita, Hemingway’s favorite bar, to do my ‘homework’ and sample his favorite concoction, the daiquiri. But one can be overprepared! When, at nine the next morning, Hemingway called from the kitchen, ‘What will you have to drink?’ my reply was, I thought, letter-perfect: ‘Daiquiri, sir.’ ‘Good God, Karsh,’ Hemingway remonstrated, ‘at this hour of the day!’”
This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.
WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!
8" x 10"
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
