Antione Sevruguin1896Mirza Riza Kirmani, Nasir Al-Din Shah's Assassin
Albumen print14.7 x 20.7 cm
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery ArchivesJay Bisno Collection of Sevruguin Photographs., Gift of Jay Bisno, 1985, Local number: FSA A.15 11
Title and Summary notes are provided by Shabnam Rahimi-Golkhandan, FSg research specialist.
Antoin Sevruguin is one of the early pioneers of commercial photography in Iran. He arrived in Iran from Tbilisi, Georgia in the mid 1870s to set up shop in Ala al-Dawla street in Tehran. From the early days, Sevruguin's studio was trusted both by the Qajar court and by foreign visitors to Iran. Highly regarded for their artistic ingenuity outside Iran, Sevruguin's photographs of 'ethnic types,' architecture and landscape, and depictions of daily life of Tehran found their way into foreign travelogues, magazines and books. As such, he stands alone in a relatively large group of early Iranian photographers for being recognized and celebrated outside the boundaries of the country. Antoin Sevruguin passed away in 1933, although his family studio continued for some time as a commercial enterprise.
"Portrait of Mirza Riza Kirmani (d. 1896) taken during his imprisonment and after his assassination of Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar. Mirza Riza Kirmani assassinated Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar on May 1st of 1896, during the Shah's visit to Shah Abdul 'Azim Shrine in northern Tehran. Mirza Riza was executed by hanging on the dusk of the second day of Rabi 'al-Avval of 1314(11th of August, 1896), about four months after he assassinated Nasir al-Din Shah. The four month delay in his execution was due to the extensive interrogations to find out if he had any accomplices." [Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Curatorial Research Assistant]
LL/58586
