An original print of a famous photograph of Winston Churchill has been found in Italy after going missing from an Ottawa hotel.

Yousuf Karsh took the 1941 photo, “The Roaring Lion” shortly after Churchill gave a wartime speech to Canada’s parliament. The portrait of 67-year-old British statesman Churchill, taken by photographer Yousuf Karsh in 1941, is one of the most iconic photographs of the former British Prime Minister. In 1998, an original signed print was given to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, where Karsh lived with his wife, Estrellita. A staff member at the Château Laurier Hotel first noticed the photograph had been replaced on 19 August 2022.

Officials announced the arrest of a man from Powassan, Ontario, in connection with the theft and illicit sale. The 43-year-old man, whose name is covered by a publication ban, faces several charges in Canada, including forgery, theft, trafficking, and property damage. Investigators say he was arrested on 25 April and appeared in court in Ottawa the following day.

The photograph was then auctioned in London to a private Italian buyer. The current owner, a Genoese, purchased it at a Sotheby’s auction, unaware that it had been stolen. Canadian investigators identified the buyer through open-source research and public tips. Ottawa police confirmed the portrait was found in Italy. “Both were unaware that the item had been stolen,” police said. The anonymous buyer will return the print to Canadian police in Rome this month.

“Roaring Lion” is considered one of the most iconic images of the 20th century and was an important beginning in Karsh’s career. One of the first editions of the work, which appeared on the 1945 cover of Life magazine, hangs on the walls of the House of Commons of Canada and has appeared on the Bank of England’s £5 note since 2016.

The photograph shows Churchill, the British wartime prime minister, on Parliament Hill moments after Karsh removed a cigar from Churchill’s mouth.

“I held out an ashtray, but he would not dispose of it. I waited; he continued to chomp vigorously at his cigar. I waited,” Karsh later recalled.

“Then I stepped toward him without premeditation, but ever respectfully, I said ‘forgive me sir’ and plucked the cigar from his mouth.”

When Karsh returned to his camera, Churchill looked “so belligerent he could have devoured me,” he wrote.

“The portrait of Winston Churchill changed my life. After taking it, I knew it was an important photograph, but I could not have imagined that it would become one of the most reproduced images in the history of photography.”