Photograph #29
Name/Title
Photograph #29Description
The photograph may be of a priest or a priest in training. The text in the back is in Classical Armenian and reads: "I give this photo as a token of sincere [fraternal] love (Նուիրեմ զայս լուս. ի նշան անկեղծ սիրոյ [եղբայրութեան])." And it's signed by Հ. Թարաքճեան? Arshag Sedefdjian’s (1866-1938) photography studio was located at 27 Rue Idjadie in Üsküdar, across from the commissariat. It was among the most prominent photographic establishments on the Asian side of the city at the end of the nineteenth century. The clientele of Sedefgian’s studio appears to have consisted largely of middle-class residents of Constantinople. Based on the French- and Armenian-language stamps found on his photographs, it may be inferred that the photographer primarily targeted the local Armenian community as well as European expatriates. Following the Hamidian massacres of 1894–96, Sedefgian left the Ottoman Empire, first relocating to Cyprus and later to Cairo, where he successfully continued his professional activities. Surviving examples of his work indicate that the studio remained in operation at least into the mid-1920s, by which time it was almost certainly administered by an heir or another family member. The portraits produced by the studio are technically skilled and often place notable emphasis on the social status and respectability of the sitters.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Cabinet CardSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
ConstantinopleCategory
Photographs