Portrait of a Woman – large albumen photograph, hand-signed by the Abdullah Frères. Ottoman Empire, 19th century.
The three Ottoman-Armenian brothers—Viçen Abdullahian (1820–1902), Hovsep Abdullahian (1830–1908), and Kevork Abdullahyan (1839–1918)—were renowned court photographers to Sultans Abdülaziz and Abdülhamid II, and achieved international acclaim during the late Ottoman Empire under the name “Abdullah Frères.” The brothers photographed landscapes and prominent individuals across the empire, including sultans themselves. In 1863, Sultan Abdülaziz officially named them “Photographers of the Court and Distinguished Artists of the City, ” a title they used until their studio closed in 1899. Over their long careers, they photographed many Ottoman sultans, statesmen such as Ibrahim Edhem Pasha and Osman Nuri Pasha, international figures such as Mark Twain, as well as landscapes and portraits across the empire.
Size: 31×25 cm. Tear at center right (in the rounded margin), reinforced on the back with tape. Minor cracks. Stains. Good condition.
