Stenen brug over de rivier de Daliki bij Shiraz-Buchire c. 1880 - 1895

This photograph of a stone bridge over the Daliki River near Shiraz was taken by Antoine Sevruguin, a photographer of Armenian, Russian, and Persian descent. Sevruguin ran a commercial photography studio in Tehran from the 1870s until 1933. His work provides insights into the social and cultural landscape of late 19th and early 20th century Persia under the Qajar dynasty. This dynasty saw increasing European influence and internal political struggles. Sevruguin's photographs reflect the era's tensions between tradition and modernity. His work, documenting Persian architecture, landscapes, and people, served multiple purposes. It catered to European interest in the "exotic" East, while also appealing to a growing sense of national identity among Persians. Sevruguin’s photographs were often used for ethnographic studies and colonial documentation, raising questions about the power dynamics inherent in image-making. To understand Sevruguin's work better, scholars consult not only his photographs but also historical archives, travelogues, and studies of Qajar society. This approach helps to understand the complex interplay of artistic creation, social context, and historical forces.