1036
chemists and goldsmiths. So Armenians with the
knowledge of chemistry required for the Daguerrotype
process, and who moreover studied this subject at the
Murad-Raphaelyan School in Venice were among the
fi rst Ottoman photographers (Özendes, 1995, 21).
The Ottoman Greek photographer Basile (Vasili) Kar-
gopoulo (1826–1886), who opened his studio on Grand’
Rue de Péra in 1850, created a valuable documentary
record of the time with his photographs of Istanbul and
daily life in the city. He was awarded the title of royal
photographer by Sultan Abdulmecid (r. 1839–1861), a
position he held for many years, and was also private
photographer to Sultan Murad V (1840–1904 r. 1876)
(Öztuncay, 2000).
Fascination with the Orient began with the Turqueries
fashion in the 16th century, when diplomats and travel-
ers had their portraits painted wearing Turkish costume.
In the 18th century the Istanbul embassies of principal
European countries employed artists to do paintings and
drawings of Turkey, Middle East and Egypt to satisfy
the curiosity of friends and colleagues back home. In the
19th century the fl oodgates of Orientalism opened.
Although photography was supposedly the opportu-
nity to see the ‘real’ Orient rather than artists’ interpreta-
tions, photographers created scenes that perpetuated the
preconceived European image of the Orient.
Westerners were fascinated above all by eastern
women, and in response to this demand photographers
generated a new category of photographs with titles
like ‘A Turkish Woman’ or ‘Young Turkish Girl’ In
fact it was out of the question that any Muslim woman
would have sat for such photographs, and the women
portrayed were generally foreigners or local prostitutes.
When photographers had trouble fi nding models they
even resorted to dressing up men in women’s clothing.
Although their faces are veiled, close scrutiny of eyes,
hands and thick ankles reveals the deception (Özendes,
1999, 9, 160).
Pascal Sébah, (1823–1886), who opened his photographic
studio, El Chark, on Postacılar Street in Péra in 1857. In
1873, he opened a branch studio in Cairo, and exchanged
some negatives with H. Bechard, who had been working
in Cairo since 1870. Each set their own signatures to the
other’s negatives.
After Pascal Sébah’s death his studio remained in
business, and in 1888 when Policarpe Joaillier became
a partner, the name El Chark was changed to Sébah &
Joaillier. This fi rm became the foremost representative
of Orientalism in photography.
When Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859–1941) visited Istan-
bul in 1889, he was photographed by Sébah & Joaillier,
and the fi rm was awarded the title of photographers by
appointment to the Prussian court (Özendes, 1999).
Vichen Abdullah (1820–1902) began his photo-
graphic career touching up photographs for Rabach, who
had opened his Istanbul studio in 1856. In 1858, when
his younger brother Kevork (1839–1918) returned from
studying at the Murad-Raphaelyan School in Venice,
they and another brother Hovsep (1830–1908) took
over Rabach’s studio. The new fi rm became known as
Abdullah Fréres.
In 1863 a portrait of Sultan Abdulaziz (r. 1839–1876)
taken by Abdullah Frères earned them the title of royal
photographer.
In 1886 at the request of Khedive of Egypt Tevfi k Pa-
sha, the Abdullah brothers opened a branch in Cairo.
They closed down the branch in Cairo in 1895, and
at the end of 1900 sold their studio to Sébah & Joaillier
(Özendes, 1998)
Nikolai Andreomenos (1850–1929) took a job touch-
ing up photographs at the Abdullah brothers’ fi rst studio
in 1861 and took this over in 1867. He then opened a
branch in Péra and became one of the photographers
who won entry to the palace, giving lessons in photog-
raphy to crown prince Vahdettin, later Sultan Vahdettin
(1861–1926 r. 1918–1921) (Özendes, 1995, 164).
In the early 1870s Guillaume Berggren (1835–1920)
opened a studio on Grand’ Rue de Péra and took what
are considered to be the loveliest contemporary images
of Istanbul. He was decorated by the Swedish king Gus-
taf V (1858–1950) during his visit to Istanbul in 1885.
When Berggren died his niece had all his photographic
equipment buried with him in the Swedish cemetery in
Istanbul (Wigh, 1984).
Felix Bonfi ls (1831–1885) opened a studio in Beirut
in 1867. His son Adrien (1861–1929) joined the studio
in 1878, and continued to work as a photographer for a
decade after his father’s death in 1885 (Özendes, 1995,
174).
Bogos Tarkulyan (?–1940) acquired his photographic
training as assistant to the Abdullah brothers. In 1890
he opened his own studio, which he named Phébus,
and became known as ‘Phébus Efendi’ (Mr. Phébus).
Tarkulyan was also a skilled artist, and became the fi rst
Ottoman photographer to color photographs (Özendes,
1995, 175).
Ottoman studio owners prepared graphic designs
incorporating the decorations they had received from
the Ottoman sultans and European rulers, and medals
they had won, and these were sent to the Bernhard Wa-
chtl fi rm in Vienna to be printed on the back of mounts
for Carte-de Visite and Cabinet sized photographs
(Özendes, 1995, 65).
Photography came to be very widely used during the
reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II, who used it as a way of
keeping up with events around the empire without leav-
ing his palace. By appointing photographers to record
events and institutions all over the country, Sultan Ab-
dulhamid became the principal patron of photography
in Ottoman Turkey. When it was decided to pardon a