"The Abdullah Brothers. Beyond Competition" - Based on materials from the book by Engin OZENDES

Engin Özendes's article is devoted to the history of the famous Istanbul photo studio "Abdullah Frères," created on the basis of her book "Abdullah Frères. Court Photographers of the Ottoman Empire," and covers the origins of the family, the creative path of the three brothers-photographers, and the circumstances of their transformation into court masters of the Ottoman Empire.

Introduction and Methodology

The publication is based on the archival research of Edward Yurmuzyan, a distant relative of the Abdullah brothers, as well as family documents and the memoirs of Kevork Abdullah. The author reconstructs the genealogy of the Yurmuzyan-Abdullah family, beginning with the brothers' grandfather, who took the name "Abdullah" at the court of Sultan Abdul Hamid I.

Family and the Formation of the Masters

Particular attention is given to:

• the family's origins in Kayseri and its establishment in the Istanbul district of Ortaköy;
• Kevork Abdullah's education at the Lusavorchian school and at the Murad-Raphaelian college in Venice, where he showed brilliant results;
• the early success of the eldest brother, Viçen, as a miniature painter at the court of Sultans Abdul Mejid and Abdul Aziz.

The Establishment of the Photographic Studio

A separate section is devoted to the transformation of the three brothers — Viçen, Hovsep, and Kevork — into professional photographers:

• the acquisition of a daguerreotype studio in the Bayezid quarter;
• a trip to Paris and study under Count Olympe Aguado;
• the opening of a new studio in the prestigious Pera quarter in the early 1860s.

Court Status and International Recognition

A key event was the invitation of the brothers by Sultan Abdul Aziz in 1863 to conduct a photo shoot in İzmit, after which they were granted the title of imperial photographers. The author emphasizes the studio's international success at the 1867 Paris World's Fair, where portraits of European diplomats, Eastern dignitaries, and panoramas of Istanbul were exhibited, receiving high praise from the press and guidebooks of the time.

Artistic Methods and Technique

The final section examines the professional techniques of the Abdullah brothers:

• the use of natural light through the studio's glass ceiling;
• the rich decorative design of the interiors to create an "Oriental effect";
• the transition from the "carte de visite" format to more artistic cabinet portraits.

The article's key conclusion is that the "Abdullah Frères" studio, through its combination of European artistic education, technical mastery, and a deep understanding of Eastern aesthetics, achieved unprecedented recognition both in the Ottoman Empire and in Europe, becoming a standard for court and commercial photography in the second half of the 19th century.