TWO IMAGES OF A PRETTY TEENAGE GIRL ON ONE POSTCARD : EDREMIT, TURKEY

This vintage postcard features two images. The images are likely portraits of different girls in their teenage years. The girls are probably sisters. They have a sweet appearance. It is also possible that both images are of the same girl. The girls in each picture are wearing the same jewelry, but different clothing. In one image, the girl has very long hair draped over her shoulder. In the other image, the girl is wearing her hair up. The images on this card come from the studio A. Polel (Solel?). The studio was located in Edremit, Turkey.  SOLD

Published in: on February 16, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , ,

PRETTY TURKISH ACTRESS : CARTE de VISITE : CONSTANTINOPLE : R CARACACHIAN

This carte de visite photograph features a young unidentified Turkish actress. She was photographed by Rober Caracachian at his studio in Constantinople, Turkey. SOLD

Published in: on November 20, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , ,

TWO YOUNG WOMEN POSE FOR PORTRAIT IN MARAS, TURKEY : SLIGHTLY AFTER THE ARMENIAN MASSACRE (1922)

This vintage real photo postcard features two young woman photographed by a studio in Maras, Turkey. Before 1973, the city was named Kahramanmaras. Maras was part of the Ottoman Empire. During War I the empire allied with Germany. In 1919, post war, Maras was occupied by British, and later, French troops. After the “Battle of Marash” (1920), the Turkish National Movement took control. The Battle of Marash was fought between the Turkish National Forces and French forces occupying Maras. It was first major battle of the Turkish War for Independence. The battle caused the French to retreat and abandon Maras. A consequence of the withdrawal of French troops was the Turkish massacre of Armenian refugees who were just repatriated to Maras following the Armenian Genocide. It is believed that between 5,000 and 12,000 Armenians were killed in Maras after the withdrawal. According to the stamp on the reverse of the card, this postcard photograph was taken in 1922. One wonders if the two women/girls seen in this image are Armenian or Turkish. If they are Armenian, imagine how traumatized they must have been considering it was only two years after the massacre occurred. The subjects of this photo are a study in contrast. The girl in the dark dress shows a lot of emotion. She looks troubled or frightened. The woman dressed in the light dress appears void of emotion. Her affect seems very flat. The pair are posed standing on a pretty rug with a background of another rug. I have never seen a photo portrait staged this way. (SOLD)

Published in: on October 23, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , ,

PORTRAIT OF A LOVELY COUPLE IN ANDRINOPLE, TURKEY (POSSIBLY ARMENIAN ETHNIC ORIGIN)

This cabinet card features a lovely couple posing for their portrait at a studio in Andrinople, Turkey. The pair are attractive and well dressed. The gentleman has a handlebar mustache. Is this couple of Armenian origin? It would be so interesting to know more about this couple, but that is an impossibility. The name of the photographer who photographed this image is L. Nicolaou. Preliminary research revealed that the name “Nicolaou” is a surname that can be found in multiple cultures and languages (including Portuguese and Romanian). In addition, the name is also found in Cyprus. This information indicates that the photographer was probably from Bulgaria, Greece or Cyprus; but operating his studio in Turkey. The city of Andrinople is also known by other names, including Edirne (Greek). The city is located in northwestern Turkey, and close to Turkey’s borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne was once the capital city of the Ottoman Empire. In 1928, Edirne replaced Adrianople as the name of the city. Edirne has been the site of numerous battles through history. Some consider Edirne to be the most frequently contested location in the world. A battle that occurred near the time that this photograph was taken is “The Siege of Adrianople” (1912-1913) which was a battle fought during the First Balkan War. An article in Wikipedia states that in 1905, the city had 80,000 inhabitants comprised of 30,000 Turks, 22,000 Greeks, 12,000 Jews, 10,000 Bulgarians, 4,000 Armenians, and 2,000 people of unknown origin.   (SOLD)

Published in: on April 17, 2018 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , , , ,

PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE AND BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED LITTLE BOY IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY

This vintage photograph features an adorable little boy. He is very fashionable and is wearing a terrific Panama hat. His expression is priceless. This photo was taken in Istanbul, Turkey in 1949. I can not identify the language written on the reverse of the photograph. The official language of Turkey is Turkish but there are many other ethnic groups living in the nation. Other prevalent languages include Arabic and Zazaki.  This photograph measures about 5″ x 3 1/14″.      (SOLD)

Published in: on December 14, 2017 at 3:02 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

PORTRAIT OF AN ARMENIAN COUPLE IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS (PHOTOGRAPHED BY ARMENIAN PHOTOGRAPHER)

head scarg

One of the wonderful benefits of studying antique images is that they often are remnants of important and interesting history. This cabinet card image is a terrific example of a photographer capturing history with his/her camera. In this case, the photographer was just not cataloging history, but he was part of it. Lusadaran, the Armenian Photography Foundation, cites the photographer of this cabinet card. An article on their web site discloses that Hairabed was a photographer in Worcester, Massachusetts in the 1900’s through the 1920’s. During his photography career he had shortened his name from his given name of Hairabedian. There is no mention of his first name. The article reports that he had likely emigrated to America from the Ottoman Empire. Once here, he photographed the first waves of Armenian Genocide survivors and immigrants settling in the Worcester area. His specialty was taking studio portraits. After doing some preliminary research, I may have uncovered the photographer’s first name. The city directory of Providence (1909 and 1910) lists a photography studio operated by Bedros and Astoor Hairabedian. The 1910 directory notes that Astoor Hairabedian moved to Salem, Massachusetts during that year. This image was most likely taken before 1910 but it would not be unusual for a family photography business to have been operating at two or more different cities simultaneously. Perhaps Astoor had decided to move to Massachusetts to manage or work at that location to replace or join another relative already there. What do we know about the subjects of this cabinet card portrait? Not much. We can only surmise by their dress and appearance that they are Aremenian immigrants to the United States shortly after the turn of the century. The woman in the image is wearing traditional clothing including a scarf covering her head and much of her face.

Published in: on November 16, 2014 at 11:10 am  Comments (5)  
Tags: , , , , , ,

Turkish Family Poses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

turkey

A Turkish family is posing in their traditional garb for photographer L.A. Sawyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cabinet cards capture history and this photograph represents the building of America through immigration. How did this family adapt to life in this country? What issues did they face? Lots of questions and no answers. We can only imagine or read about the struggles of other immigrant families. The inscription below the photograph appears to indicate that this family comes from Bitlis, Turkey. Bitlis is located in southeastern Turkey, southwest of Lake Van and 4600 feet above sea level. It is rich in history, having been controlled by Arab dynasties, Byzantines, Persians and Mongolians. By the 14th century it became part of the Kurdish dynasty and was very autonomous until 1847 when it became part of the Ottoman empire. During World War I, the city was occupied by the Russians. The occupation had adverse impact on Bitlis; it reduced its population and damaged their weaving and dyeing industries.

Published in: on December 23, 2008 at 3:37 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: , , , ,