1 Item (Silver albumen on paper., 6-1/2" x 4-1/4".)
Type:
Archival materials
Albumen prints
Photographs
Cabinet photographs
Date:
[19th century.]
Scope and Contents:
On verso: "WM. SHEW'S / NEW / PHOTOGRAPHIC ESTABLISHMENT. / 145 Kearny Street, / SAN FRANCISCO." On recto under photograph: "Photographic copy of the Original Life-size Pencil painted Portrait, executed by those celebrated Spirit Artists, WELLA and / PET ANDERSON, when in the unconscious 'trance' condition. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, ... by the PACIFIC ART UNION of San Francisco, Cal. inc. [sic] March 1874."
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with cotton gloves.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Fraternal Orders, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
A large album of prints by photographer Antoin Sevruguin, likely dating from his early career in Iran in the 1870s and 1880s. The collection also includes a number of loose, unbacked prints, many duplicating the photographs in the album. Roughly half of the mounted prints have English handwritten captions.
Arrangement:
Images indexed by original photographic print number.
Biographical / Historical:
Antoin Sevruguin managed and operated one of the most successful commercial photography studios in Tehran in the late 19th century. Born in the 1840s in Iran, Sevruguin's mother returned with her children to her hometown of Tbilisi after his father Vassil, a Russian diplomat in Iran, died in a horse riding accident. Trained as a painter, Sevruguin returned to Iran in the early 1870s accompanied by his two brothers, establishing a photography studio first in Tabriz and then Tehran. His studio's ties to Tbilisi, however, persisted through the years; many of the early portraits of Dervishes and women have been simultaneously attributed to Antoin Sevruguin and Dimitri Yermakov, the Georgian photographer who is often referred to as Sevruguin's mentor from Tbilisi. Many of Antoin Sevruguin's photographs were published as early as 1885 in travelogues, journals and books indicating that by that time he had a fully established practice in Tehran's Ala al-Dawla street, with ties to the court of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar. Often unacknowledged as the producer of published images in his own time - the 1902 photographic survey of Persepolis being the most glaring of such authorial misrepresentations - he was nevertheless celebrated and acknowledged for his artistic vision and his keen eye for composition, achieving the Medal of Lion and Sun from Nasir al-Din Shah, the 1897 Medal of Honour in the Brussels International Exposition, and the 1900 Medal of Honour in Paris International Exposition. Reflecting a career that spans nearly half a century, Sevruguin's diverse body of work includes studio portraits of families, women and dervishes, survey photographs of archeological sites, objects, landscapes and architecture, and photographs of royalty, high officials and ceremonies of the Qajar court. The range of his output not only demonstrates his own pictorial concerns and artistic abilities but also the divergent interests of his clients. Despite numerous devastating incidents throughout his career - the loss of more than half of his negatives in a 1908 blast and fire, an unsuccessful attempt at diversifying into cinematography in the 1910s, and the confiscation of the remainder of his negatives in the mid-1920s to name a few - his studio remained operational even after his death in 1933. A number of negatives from the Sevruguin studio can be dated to the years after Antoin's death, indicating that the Sevruguin studio continued to be commercially viable. As one of the most prolific early commercial photographers in Iran, Antoin Sevruguin's artistic legacy has since proved far more enduring.
Local Numbers:
FSA A2011.03
Provenance:
Purchase; 2011.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.01
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.09
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
- Partial handwritten Cyrillic signature in white (inked), probably by Antoin Sevruguin reads: "Cebpróôun."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.10
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The image depicts a group of soldiers, part of Isfahan's army. These soldiers were recruited and trained in Isfahan, to be a part of an army known as Fawj-I Jalali. The army was placed under Zil al-Sultan's supervision (Nasir al-Din Shah's oldest son)." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
- Partial handwritten Cyrillic signature in white (inked), probably by Antoin Sevruguin reads: "Cebpróôun."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.11
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The image depicts a group of soldiers s part of Isfahan's army. These soldiers were recruited and trained in Isfahan, to be a part of an army known as Fawj-I Jalali. The army was placed under Zil al-Sultan's supervision (Nasir al-Din Shah's oldest son)." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.12
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The image depicts a group of soldiers s part of Isfahan's army. These soldiers were recruited and trained in Isfahan, to be a part of an army known as Fawj-I Jalali. The army was placed under Zil al-Sultan's supervision (Nasir al-Din Shah's oldest son). The soldiers are shown during what seems to be military practice." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
- Handwritten Cyrillic signature in white (inked), probably by Antoin Sevruguin reads: "Cebpróôun."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.13
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
- Handwritten Cyrillic signature in white (inked), probably by Antoin Sevruguin reads: "Cebpróôun."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.14
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.59
General:
Title and summary note are provided by Archives staff.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.56
General:
Title and summary note are provided by Archives staff.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The original photograph has been taken by Sebah Jean Pascal (Joaillier) between 1860 et 1870." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Archives staff]
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.58
General:
Title and summary note are provided by Archives staff.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Typed information, in French, on verso reads, "J. Daziaro, Moscou et St-Petersbourg."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.60
General:
Title and summary note are provided by Archives staff.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.61
General:
Title and summary note are provided by Archives staff.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The image depicts a group of soldiers s part of Isfahan's army. These soldiers were recruited and trained in Isfahan, to be a part of an army known as Fawj-I Jalali. The army was placed under Zil al-Sultan's supervision (Nasir al-Din Shah's oldest son)." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.15
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Typed information, in French, on verso reads, "J. Daziaro, Moscou et St-Petersbourg."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.62
General:
Title and summary note are provided by Archives staff.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The image depicts a group of soldiers s part of Isfahan's army. These soldiers were recruited and trained in Isfahan, to be a part of an army known as Fawj-I Jalali. The army was placed under Zil al-Sultan's supervision (Nasir al-Din Shah's oldest son). The soldiers are shown during what seems to be military practice." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
- Handwritten Cyrillic signature in white (inked), probably by Antoin Sevruguin reads: "Cebpróôun."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.16
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The palace of Ayina-Khana was built by Shah Safi (Safavid) in the 17th century to resemble Chihil Sutun, the other royal palace in Isfahan. It was destroyed in 1891 by orders from the Qajar ruler of the city: Zil al-Sultan. Mas'ud Mirza or Zil al-Sultan was Nasir Al-Din Shah's oldest son and the governor of Isfahan for about thirty years." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
"The villa was built on the south side the Gulistan Palace complex on the orders of Fath Ali Shah Qajar. Later on and on the orders of Nasir al-Din Shah extensive renovations were carried out on the site and the renovations continued later in the early Pahlavi era as well. The building is currently undergoing fresh rounds of renovations. The photo depicts the structure from the far end of the front pool, carefully framing the structure in the centre of the image. The complete symmetry of the plans allows for such symmetry in the image." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
- Handwritten Cyrillic signature in white (inked), probably by Antoin Sevruguin reads: "Cebpróôun."
Arrangement:
One of 62 albumen prints, un-numbered and without any apparent organization, housed in document box and stored on shelves. The 62 photographs were found sandwiched between the front and back covers of a leather-bound album of 19th. century photographs of Antoin Sevruguin. Many of these prints are duplicates of these in the album, and were certainly purchased at the same time.
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:
FSA A2011.03 B.18
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.
Stephen Arpee Collection of Sevruguin Photographs. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
