Abdullah Frères
The Abdullah Frères (French for "Abdullah Brothers"; Turkish: Abdullah Biraderler) were a group of three Ottoman brothers of Armenian descent, Viçen Abdullahyan (1820–1902), Hovsep Abdullahyan (1830–1908), and Kevork Abdullahyan (1839–1918), who were photographers of international fame during the late Ottoman Empire.[1] They took pictures of scenic views and notable individuals, including sultans. Most of their photography was of the Ottoman Empire.
Viçen (later known as Abdullah Şükrü after converting to Islam) began his photographic career touching up photos for Rabach, who opened his photography studio in 1856 in the Bayazid district of Constantinople. In 1858, when Viçen's younger brother Kevork returned from his studies at the Murad Raphaelian Armenian Academy in Venice, they and another brother Hovsep decided to take over Rabach's photography studio and open their own, The Abdullah Frères.[1] In 1867, they sold their shop in Beyazid and moved to a more favorable location in Pera.[2] The Abdullah Frères subsequently became one of the most famous photographers in the Ottoman Empire.[2] In 1863, Sultan Abdulaziz declared the Abdullah Frères as the official court photographers and Outstanding Artists of the City, an epithet they used until the closure of the shop in 1899.[1][2] In 1886, at the request of the Khedive in Egypt, they opened a branch in Cairo, Egypt.[1]
Over their lengthy career, the Abdullah Frères photographed numerous Ottoman Sultans, Ottoman statesmen such as Ibrahim Edhem Pasha and Osman Nuri Pasha, international figures such as Mark Twain, scenic views, and more.
Gallery
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Mark Twain. (1867)
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Ibrahim Edhem Pasha. (around the 1890s)
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Osman Nuri Pasha. (around 1895)
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View of Galata Bridge.
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Sultan Abdülaziz.JPG
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Group portrait of eight Circassian men in uniform, with another man, possibly an Ottoman official.jpg
Group of Circassian men with Ottoman Official.
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A ceremony in Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque, Constantinople.
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Abdullah frères - Trandafir G. Djuvara.JPG
Portrait of the Romanian diplomat and memoirist Trandafir G. Djuvara.
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ModernEgypt, Khedive Tawfiq, DHP13401-1-3 01.jpg
Photograph of Tawfiq Pasha.
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Hagia Sophia Bell.jpg
Bell of the Haghia Sophia.
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Street in Galata, Istanbul, Turkey by Abdullah Frères, ca. 1880-1893 (LOC).jpg
Street in Galata.
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Stammesschule-JD.jpg
Mekteb-i Aşiret-i Humayun (Imperial Tribal School)
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Istanbul - Abdullah brothers Quai de Bouyukdéré before 1895.jpg
A dock in Büyükdere, Sarıyer, Istanbul.
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Cuma selamlığı Abdül Hamid II Hamidiye Mosque 4.jpg
The Selamlik (Sultan's procession to the mosque) at the Hamidiye Camii (mosque) on Friday
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Abdullah frères. Constantinople. Georgian. 1870.jpg
Georgian man (1870)
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Turkish woman, full-length portrait, seated, facing front, holding parasol.jpg
Turkish woman, full-length portrait, seated, facing front, holding parasol.
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Stammesschule Schueler.jpg
Students of Mekteb-i Aşiret-i Humayun (Imperial Tribal School)
References
External links
- Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) Signed Photo by Abdullah Frères, Constantinople 1867 Shapell Manuscript Foundation