The original portrait by Yousuf Karsh at the Chateau Laurier has been replaced with a copy, and the hotel is hunting for answers
It’s not clear whether the Château Laurier, a historic Ottawa hotel that neighbours Parliament Hill, is dealing with a case of art theft, a misplaced photograph or something altogether different.
“By the time I got back to my camera,” Karsh said later, “he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me.” Trottier was unable to say whether or not the photo had been stolen or misplaced. But, at some point between 1998 and 2022, the original appears to have been swapped out with a copy.Article contentThe swap was first noticed by an observant staff member on Friday night. The frame around Churchill’s portrait, which had hung in the hotel’s Reading Lounge, did not match the frames around the other five Karsh photos on display.
The hotel says that in consultation with Karsh’s estate, they realized that what was on display was not in fact an original, but rather, a copy of the famed photograph.Article content