Photograph #25
Name/Title
Photograph #25Description
Encababian Brothers were Armenian Ottoman photographers active in Sivas (Sebastia) from 1898 to 1927, best known for their extensive documentation of Armenian communal life before, during, and after the First World War. The studio was operated primarily by Harutyun (Aroutyoun) Encababian (born c. 1882) and his brother Karekin (Garegin) Encababian, and appears on photographic imprints under several variants, including Encababian Bros., Encababian Frères, and related French- and Ottoman-era formulations. Their studio produced formal portraiture, wedding photographs, family groups, and images of daily life, as well as architectural and landscape views of Sivas and its surroundings, including Armenian churches and civic spaces. Collectively, their work constitutes one of the most significant surviving visual records of the Armenian population of the Sivas vilayet in the late Ottoman period. During the Armenian Genocide, both brothers were arrested by Ottoman authorities but were later released, reportedly due to the perceived utility of their professional skills. They continued to reside and work in Sivas for several years thereafter. In 1927, the Encababian family relocated to Istanbul, where they briefly attempted to reestablish a photography studio, before emigrating later that year to the United States. Harutyun Encababian, whose name appears as a stamp on the reverse of this photograph, settled in Manhattan after immigrating to the United States in 1927. He had four children—Rose (Vartanoush), Zabel, Ara, and Savoy. Harutyun Encababian died in New York City on 20 September 1931. Following the family’s emigration, the professional photographic activity of the Encababian brothers appears to have ceased. Surviving prints and negatives attributed to the Encababian brothers are preserved today in private collections and institutional archives, particularly within Armenian diaspora repositories, and are frequently cited by historians as crucial visual evidence for the study of Armenian social, cultural, and urban life in central Anatolia during the late Ottoman era.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Cabinet CardSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
SivasCategory
Photographs