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Catalog Data

Creator:
Sevruguin, Antoin, 1851-1933  Search this
Names:
Islamic Archives  Search this
Sevruguin, Antoin, 1851-1933  Search this
Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970  Search this
Collection Creator:
Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970  Search this
Extent:
1 Glass negative (b&w, --.- cm. x --.- cm.)
Type:
Archival materials
Glass negatives
Place:
Asia
Iran
Tehran (Iran)
Date:
1880-1900
Scope and Contents:
"The British embassy in Tehran was constructed by a British architect called James Wild on a piece of land acquired by the British government in 1860. The construction of the building lasted for almost sixteen years, the bulk of which was constructed from 1871 to 1876. The dome of the building - visible in the background of the image - along with some of the large glass windows, were imported from United Kingdom, the transport of which posed unforeseen problems for the completion of the building. The photograph is taken from inside the embassy's garden (south), depicting a child on horseback with an attendant. The photograph was turned into a postcard at approximately the same time." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
- Myron Bement Smith handwritten caption in English reads, "47.P; Box 15.7: Palace. side view. (cracked)." [Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information; Box 60; Folder 44: 47 P: Antoine Sevruguin, glass negatives, Iran]
Arrangement:
According to Myron B. Smith handwritten document (Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information; Box 60; Folder 44: 47 P Antoine Sevruguin, glass negatives, Iran), Antoin Sevruguin's 696 glass negatives, at the time of their acquisition, were arranged into 61 boxes without any apparent organization. Today they are housed in archival document boxes, essentially duplicating the original arrangement, and stored on shelves. This glass negative was included into "Box 15."
Biographical / Historical:
Antoin Sevruguin is one of the early pioneers of commercial photography in Iran. He arrived in Iran from Tbilisi, Georgia in the mid 1870s to set up shop in Ala al-Dawla street in Tehran. From the early days, Sevruguin's studio was trusted both by the Qajar court and by foreign visitors to Iran. Highly regarded for their artistic ingenuity outside Iran, Sevruguin's photographs of 'ethnic types,' architecture and landscape, and depictions of daily life of Tehran found their way into foreign travelogues, magazines and books. As such, he stands alone in a relatively large group of early Iranian photographers for being recognized and celebrated outside the boundaries of the country. Antoin Sevruguin passed away in 1933, leaving behind only a fraction of his large collection of glass negatives, which is currently in the Archives of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.4 2.12.GN.15.07
General:
Title and summary note are provided by Shabnam Rahimi-Golkhandan, FSg curatorial research specialist.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Architecture  Search this
Genre/Form:
Glass negatives
Collection Citation:
The Myron Bement Smith Collection, FSA A.04. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Katherine Dennis Smith.
Identifier:
FSA.A.04, Item FSA A.4 2.12.GN.15.07
See more items in:
Myron Bement Smith Collection
Myron Bement Smith Collection / Series 2: The Islamic Archives / 2.12: Antoin Sevruguin Photographs / 2.12.01: Glass Plate Negatives / Glass Plate Negatives: Sets 1-61
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3d80a0acf-54a8-40d7-9d93-b41bc7dc8523
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a-04-ref10091