In the second half of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th, many Armenians living in large cities of the Middle East chose photography as their livelihood. Whereas early western travelers in the region photographed mostly archeological remains and biblical sites, the Armenian photographers made their living doing studio photography, often in working-class or lower-middle-class areas. Their images now constitute extremely valuable sociological records of 19th-century Istanbul, Beirut, Damascus, Cairo and Palestine. The exhibition presents works of Abdullah Frères, G. Lékégian, Garabed Krikorian, Abraham Guirogossian, Yessayi Garabedian, Sarrafin Bros., Halladjian, Van Leo and Angelo, and ends with the colorized prints of the “Carnets d’Egypte” of Katia Boyadjian, the last of the line.
Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, February 20 through April 1.
Source: Saudi Aramco World