This article documents the story of one of the earliest local studios of photography in Jerusalem... more This article documents the story of one of the earliest local studios of photography in Jerusalem – that of the Krikorians – and its negotiation of a changing local landscape at the center of emerging imperial and colonial interests. The Krikorians were some of the early pioneers of photography in the Ottoman Empire and were particularly specialized in portraiture. The article draws on interviews I conducted with Samira Kawar, one of the grandchildren of Johannes Krikorian, and her collection of Krikorian photographs as well as the archives of the Library of Congress, the University of Pennsylvania museum, and recent literature on the topic. The article narrates the story of the Krikorians, examines the differences between their photographs and the photographs of their European contemporaries, and ends by grounding their photography work in its own socioeconomic context. The article ends by highlighting the complexities of reading photography and the importance of accentuating its silences.
This article documents the story of one of the earliest local studios of photography in Jerusalem... more This article documents the story of one of the earliest local studios of photography in Jerusalem – that of the Krikorians – and its negotiation of a changing local landscape at the center of emerging imperial and colonial interests. The Krikorians were some of the early pioneers of photography in the Ottoman Empire and were particularly specialized in portraiture. The article draws on interviews I conducted with Samira Kawar, one of the grandchildren of Johannes Krikorian, and her collection of Krikorian photographs as well as the archives of the Library of Congress, the University of Pennsylvania museum, and recent literature on the topic. The article narrates the story of the Krikorians, examines the differences between their photographs and the photographs of their European contemporaries, and ends by grounding their photography work in its own socioeconomic context. The article ends by highlighting the complexities of reading photography and the importance of accentuating its silences.
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Papers by Hashem J. Abu