Studioportret van een kalende man met een bril c. 1863 - 1866

This photographic portrait of a balding man with glasses was made by Abdullah Frères. Though undated, we can place it sometime in the second half of the 19th century. The Abdullah Frères were a group of Ottoman Armenian photographers who operated a studio in Istanbul. They became famous for their portraits of Ottoman royalty and high society, as well as their views of the Ottoman Empire. This image presents us with an interesting set of questions regarding the cultural status of photography in the 19th century. Who was this man, and what was his relationship to the Abdullah Frères? Was he an Ottoman notable, or was he a European resident? The answers to these questions could be found in sources from the period such as studio records, newspaper articles, or genealogical databases. The point is that the meaning of this image is contingent on the social and institutional context in which it was made.