Object Details
- Local Numbers
- FSA A.4 2.12.GN.33.05
- General
- Title and summary note are provided by Shabnam Rahimi-Golkhandan, FSg curatorial research specialist.
- Creator
- Sevruguin, Antoin, 1851-1933
- Names
- Islamic Archives
- Sevruguin, Antoin, 1851-1933
- Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970
- Collection Creator
- Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970
- Place
- Asia
- Iran
- Qazvīn (Iran)
- Topic
- Early Photography of Iran
- Topic
- Architecture
- Art of the Islamic World
- Religious buildings
- Creator
- Sevruguin, Antoin, 1851-1933
- See more items in
- Myron Bement Smith Collection
- Myron Bement Smith Collection / Series 2: The Islamic Archives / 2.12: Antoin Sevruguin Photographs / 2.12.01: Glass Plate Negatives / Glass Plate Negatives: Sets 1-61
- 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, leaving behind only a fraction of his large collection of glass negatives, which is currently in the Archives of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
- Extent
- 1 Glass negative (b&w, 23.8 cm. x 17.8 cm.)
- Date
- 1880-1930
- Archival Repository
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
- Identifier
- FSA.A.04, Item FSA A.4 2.12.GN.33.05
- Type
- Archival materials
- Glass negatives
- Collection Citation
- The Myron Bement Smith Collection, FSA A.04. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Katherine Dennis Smith.
- Arrangement
- According to Myron B. Smith handwritten document (Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information; Box 60; Folder 44: 47 P Antoine Sevruguin, glass negatives, Iran), Antoin Sevruguin's 696 glass negatives, at the time of their acquisition, were arranged into 61 boxes without any apparent organization. Today they are housed in archival document boxes, essentially duplicating the original arrangement, and stored on shelves. This glass negative was included into "Box 33."
- Collection Rights
- Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
- Existence and Location of Copies
- Gelatin silver print numbered FSA A.4 2.12.Sm.61; available in Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.12: Antoin Sevruguin Photographs.
- Genre/Form
- Glass negatives
- Scope and Contents
- "The structure dates back to 807 A.D. with the later Seljuk additions of the two iwans in the northern side and the twelfth century construction of the prayer hall, dome, courtyard, and the religious school. Later additions include the Safavid (1501-1732) addition of the southern and western iwans and arcades and the Qajar (1779-1924) expansion of the whole structure. The courtyard of the mosque - as one of the largest one of its kind in Iran - measures around 4000 square meters. the photo depicts the structure from the rooftops of the houses on its north side. The northern iwan an its minarets stand along the north-south axis of the structure and in front of the dome." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
- - FSg curatorial research specialist remark on Antoin Sevruguin photo manipulation reads, "The sky is covered with black paper. The area between the paper and the horizon line is filled with black ink. The ink is applied with meticulous attention to detail of the horizon."
- - Handwritten number (inked, probably by Antoin Sevruguin) reads, "167."
- - Scratched handwritten number (inked, probably by Antoin Sevruguin) reads, "476."
- - Myron Bement Smith handwritten caption in English reads, "47.P; Box 33.5: (P) [black-and-white print on hand]. Mosque." [Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information; Box 60; Folder 44: 47 P: Antoine Sevruguin, glass negatives, Iran]
- Collection Restrictions
- Collection is open for research.
- Record ID
- ebl-1585218933221-1585218933922-0
