"Public display of punishment - be it bastinado, showing of prisoners in chains, hanging or stoning - comprise a group of photos in Sevruguin collection. A thorough study of this set can yield unexpected results in the matter of uses of violence and punishment in the first few years of 20th century in Iran. The images of bastinado as a usual form of punishment in the 'orient' are prevalent also in the travelogues and other similar publications of around 1900s. Sevruguin's photos are both published in such books and journal entries and utilized as models for lithographs and paintings in them." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
- On recto of the print, handwritten number in white (inked, probably by Antoin Sevruguin) reads, "299."
- On verso of the print, handwritten caption (penciled), probably by Antoin Sevruguin in French reads, "Bastanad [Bastonade]."
- On verso of the print, handwritten number (penciled) reads, "33."
Arrangement:
One of 18 albumen prints, without any apparent organization, housed in document boxes and stored on shelves.
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, although his family studio continued for some time as a commercial enterprise.
Local Numbers:
33
B-17
FSA A.15 17
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.
Jay Bisno Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. FSA.A.15. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Jay Bisno, 1985