1986 portrait of Chas. Schulz by Karsh – now in the NPG, Washington
Toronto. A portrait captures not only the subject, but the ‘essence’ of the subject. It is a rare attribute for a photographer. Yousuf Karsh in Ottawa was one such photographer known world wide for his arresting portraits of the famous, including iconic cartoonist Charles Schulz in the late 1980s.
Cartoonists with well recognized cartoon strips had two choices when they grew too old or weak to continue on. They could ‘sell’ the strip and its characters to other skilled artists or they could elect to end the strip. Charles Schulz, the creator of the strip ‘Peanuts’ chose to end his strip.
When Schulz was diagnosed with a terminal condition, he announced in late 1999 that he would end his strip (Peanuts). A few months later he died. Ironically, over a dozen years earlier, in 1986 Karsh took his portrait. That portrait now resides in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (USA). A fitting tribute to both the photographer and his subject!
My thanks once again to good friend George Dunbar for sourcing and sharing this portrait of Schulz by Karsh.
