Picturing the Ottoman Armenian World: Photography in Erzurum, Harput, Van and Beyond

The Armenian contribution to Ottoman photography is supposedly well known, with histories documenting the famous studios of the imperial capital, Ottoman Armenian-run establishments that produced Orientalist visions for tourists and images of modernity for a domestic elite. Neglected, however, have been the eastern provinces where the majority of Ottoman Armenians were to be found, a neglect that has resulted in the distortion of both their role in photography and their wider history and experience. Photography there was grounded in very different concerns, with the work of studios reflecting and taking part in the momentous events and developments that took place in the region during the last decades of the empire. This talk makes a close examination of provincial photographs in order to shine a light on some previously unknown practitioners and, more vitally, the communities that they served.