For this post, I would like to talk about the art of Turkish photographs.
Photography was one of the major technological discoveries that contributed to the rise of modernity in the 19th century. It was introduced to the lands of the Ottoman Empire by travelers and became widespread in the end of the 19th century. The first professional photography studio in Istanbul was established in 1845 by Italian brothers Carlo and Giovanni Naya. Vasilaki Kargopoulo was the first Ottoman to establish a studio in 1850. Following the 1860s, the number of such studios increased significantly, and they were mainly located around the Pera and Kadıköy districts in Istanbul. Some of the principal photographic studios were operated by Greek Christians and Italians, as well as by photographers of Armenian descent such as Pascal Sebah, Polycarpe Joaillier and the court photographers Abdullah Frères, who opened their studio in 1858 and upon whom were bestowed the title Ressam-ı Hazret-i Şehriyar-i by Sultan Abdülaziz.
Sultan Abdülhamid II is interested in photography and takes pictures in person. During his reign, the art of photography developed rapidly in the Ottoman Empire. Sudan commissioned photographers to record events and major institutions in the country. In 1884, he ordered Police Minister Kamil Pasha to set up a studio and take pictures of all prisoners in Istanbul. In 1893, Sultan Abdülhamid II sent 51 albums to the Library of Congress and 47 albums to the British Museum to introduce the Ottoman Empire. In January 1894, Sultan Abdulhamid II ordered the establishment of a fully equipped photo studio in the Yilziz Palace and appointed Ali Riza Bay as the director of the studio. Sultan Abdülhamid II ’s photo album includes photos taken by six photographers that show Aleppo, Damascus, Adana, Izmir, Çankırı, Denizli, Baghdad, Edirne, Manisa, Ai Den, Bursa, Izmit, Thessaloniki, Besson, Besson, Casamonu, Istanbul A large part of these albums are currently available in the Central Library of the University of Istanbul and the Islamic Conference Organization Islam View in the archives of the Center for History, Art and Culture Research. More than 8,500 images depicting Turkey can also be found in the Print and Photo Online Catalogue
Portrait photography was generally preferred by the elite class in the beginning, with the sultans and their families and statesmen having their portrait photos taken. At the end of the 19th century, photography was embraced by other social classes as well.
One of the first Turkish Muslims who opened a photographic studio in Crete was Rahmizade Bahaeddin. He was also active in the first half of the 20th century as a pioneer photographer in Istanbul. There were also Turks active in the photography business in several other cities in Turkey. Kitabi Hamdi Efendi, the Turkish owner of a printing house in Trabzon, was publishing his photographs and he sold cameras as well. Another Turkish photographer and postcard editor who was active from the late 19th century in Trabzon was Osman Nouri. Into the 20th century, numerous Turkish photographers became active in and outside of Turkey.
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