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The Festival

Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, Gratien Gélinas,
Karen Kain – these are just some of the individuals whose
images have been immortalized in the iconic photographs
of Yousuf Karsh.

In the summer of 2009, Ottawa was home to Festival Karsh, a collaboration between the Canada Science and Technology Museum and the Portrait Gallery of Canada, a program of Library and Archives Canada.

This city-wide celebration marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of internationally renowned portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh, and featured the major new exhibition
Karsh: Image Maker.

The Festival also included the Karsh Trail, a self-directed walking tour of sites and displays related to Karsh, which wound through downtown Ottawa. In addition, these participants had put together a wide range of special events and hands-on activities.