Wednesday, June 9, 2021

A Flower Bed For The Founder

 I left off yesterday with a bed of tulips overlooking the Ottawa River during my visit to the Canadian Museum of History. Here they are again.

This particular bed is named in honour of the Canadian landscape photographer Malak Karsh. While his brother Yousuf Karsh became the pre-eminent portrait photographer of the 20th century, Malak turned his attention to the land.  It was at this spot where he took a photograph of Parliament Hill during a logging drive, complete with the Missinaibi on the river as mentioned yesterday. That image would be reproduced on the last circulating one dollar bill, while a portrait of Queen Elizabeth by Yousuf would be used for the other. This is Malaks' view.

It is Malak- who went by his first name professionally to distinguish himself from Yousuf, who went by Karsh- who can be said to be the founder of the Tulip Festival. The Dutch started sending bulbs to Canada as thanks for liberation during the Second World War. Those bulbs were planted in beds here for the enjoyment of locals. Malak the photographer put forward the idea of a festival for the annual spring blooms and it took off from there. And so dedicating a bed to him, especially in this setting of one of his most iconic photos, makes sense.

34 comments:

  1. A big thank you to Karsh - and to you for sharing the beauty.

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  2. Nice shots of the yellows and purple with Parliament Hill in the background.

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  3. Lovely double tulips and wonderful colours.

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  4. ...the history of Ottawa's tulips is a nice addition to their beauty!

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  5. Malak's view looks wonderful through your lens William 🌷

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  6. So much color! Must be very inspiring, especially for locals still recovering from winter. :-)

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  7. @Iris: along with his wealth of photos, what a legacy to leave behind.

    @Italiafinlandia: that it is.

    @Jan: very much so.

    @Rosemary: definitely.

    @Tom: indeed.

    @Grace: thanks!

    @Revrunner: it is.

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  8. Hello,
    The flowers beds are so pretty and colorful.
    A beautiful happy sight.
    Take care, enjoy your day!

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  9. Thanks for telling Malak's story, William. I was unaware of it previously.

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  10. I didn't know about Malak, and now I do.

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  11. A wonderful tribute to Malak!

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  12. All photos are beautiful but the 2nd is outstanding!

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  13. @Eileen: thank you.

    @David: he was a great photographer.

    @Anvilcloud: he left quite a legacy.

    @RedPat: it definitely is.

    @Magiceye: thank you.

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  14. Beautiful floral shots!

    Live in the moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  15. Very interesting how the festival got started and even more interesting that the two brothers both had photos on the currency.

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  16. Wonderful captures of the beautiful tulips.

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  17. Absolutely amazing colors. Thanks for the Postings. Tweeted.

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  18. I didn't know this about Malak. they were both very prominent photographers.

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  19. @Carol: thank you.

    @Sharon: it's one way to get your work out there.

    @Bill: thank you.

    @Marie: me too.

    @Mari: you're welcome.

    @Red: they were indeed.

    @Joanne: indeed.

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  20. Interesting. I had not heard of Malak before although I am familiar with his brother's work.

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    1. It's been a year or more since I've mentioned him.

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  21. Lovely! I used to enjoy the festival.

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  22. I need a smell phone App! Gorgeous photos!!

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  23. That second photo is fabulous. I won't ever tire of seeing the tulips.

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  24. i enjoy the plum purple and yellow colors working together. nice!! ( ;

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  25. This is an especially interesting post, William. I like knowing the background. And those shaggy tulips are especially beautiful but all the colors work so well together.

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