Portrait of Prince Abu'lfat'h Mirza Salar al-Dawla

Object Details

Local Numbers: FSA A.4 2.12.GN.36.11
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

Topic: Portrait photography; Qajar dynasty, -- Iran, -- 1794-1925; Regalia (Insignia); Royalty (Nobility)

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.

Archival Repository: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

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 36."

Collection Rights: Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Bibliography: Mahdi Bamdad, Sharh-i Hal-i Rijal-i Iran dar Qarn-i 12,13,14 Hijri, Tehran: Intisharat-i Zavvar (Zavvar Publishing): 1992, Vol. 1, p:48-51

Scope and Contents: "He is Muzaffar al-Din Shah's son and was appointed as the governor of Kermanshah in 1897. He was later removed from his post as the governor of Kermanshah due to people's dissatisfaction with his rule. Salar al-Dawla was later appointed to the government of Zanjan, Khuzestan, Bakhtiari and Brujird. After an unsuccessful coup against his brother - the crown prince Muhammad Ali Shah - in 1929 he was arrested and brought to Tehran. After many unsuccessful attempt to replace his brother as the next Qajar king, he fled to Europe and stayed there until his death in 1958." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]; - Handwritten number (inked, probably by Antoin Sevruguin) reads, "69."; - Scratched handwritten number (inked, probably by Antoin Sevruguin) reads, "601."; - Myron Bement Smith handwritten caption in English reads, "47.P; Box 36.11: Shah." [Myron Bement Smith Collection, Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information; Box 60; Folder 44: 47 P: Antoine Sevruguin, glass negatives, Iran]