The pictorial Qajar period by photographer Antoin Sevruguin
Historical images by photographer Antoin Sevruguin (1840 - 1933) of life in the Palace and on the streets during Qajar period of Iran. Originals are in the archives of Golestan Palace in Tehran.
Born into a mixed Armenian-Georgian family in the Russian embassy of Tehran, Persia: Antoin Sevruguin was one of the many children of Vassil de Sevruguin (a diplomat in Tehran) and a Georgian Achin Khanoum. After Vassil died in a horse riding accident Antoin gave up the art form of painting, and took up photography to support his family. His brothers Kolia and Emanuel helped him set up a studio in Tehran on Ala al-dawla Street (today Ferdowsi St.). Many of Antoin’s photographs were taken from 1870-1930, and his work was known for its quality and depth. In 1908 troops of Qajar King Muhammad Ali Shah inadvertently bombed and burned his store and most of the 7000 photographs in his collection. The remaining salvaged photographs were confiscated by Reza Shah, the first King of the Pahlavi dynasty.
Related Event: Sevrugian: Bilder des Orients in Fotografie und Malerei 1880-1980
