A famous portrait of Winston Churchill has reportedly been stolen from a Canadian hotel and replaced with a fake.
A staff member at the Fairmont Château Laurier discovered the famous 1941 Roaring Lion photograph of the former British prime minister had been swapped with a copy.
The hotel is appealing for anyone with information to contact Ottawa Police.
The portrait of Mr Churchill by Yousuf Karsh is displayed in the hotel alongside other work by the photographer, who lived there.
Hotel general manager Geneviève Dumas said it had been replaced with a copy of the original photograph.
"We are deeply saddened by this brazen act," she said.
"The hotel is incredibly proud to house this stunning Karsh collection, which was securely installed in 1998."
The photograph was snapped by Karsh in Ottawa after Mr Churchill delivered a speech on World War II to the members of parliament.
The official Facebook page honouring Karsh's photography called for people to share their photos with the portrait to help narrow down when it had been swapped.
"The hotel and police are appealing for photographs by guests that show the print," the page said.
"The theft has been narrowed down to between December 25, 2021, and January 6, 2022."
A framed letter appealing for information is hanging in the hotel in the portrait's place.
ABC
