Abdullah Freres

Abstract

ʿAbdullāh Frères were pioneers of photography in the second half of the nineteenth century, who contributed considerably to the visual memory of the Ottoman Empire. The three Armenian brothers, who established the studio in Istanbul in 1858, were Viçen (1820–1902), Hovsep (1830–1908), and Kevork (1839–1918). Their grandfather changed the family name from Hürmüzyan to ʿAbdullāh, although he did not convert to Islam, a step taken by Viçen in 1899. Kevork attended the school of the Mekhitarists in...