The albums include portraits of some of the era’s most significant figures. Antoin Sevruguin, an Armenian-Iranian photographer, documented daily life, court ceremonies, and military events with remarkable clarity. Abdullah Mirza Qajar, a prince of the Qajar dynasty, is represented both behind the camera and in the images themselves, highlighting his dual role as photographer and insider to the royal court.
The collection also features Russian diplomats and military figures including Ivan Alekseevich Zinoviev, a senior diplomat and orientalist who served as Director of the Asian Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a member of the State Council. British agents, such as Sir Ardeshir Ji Reporter, who worked clandestinely for British intelligence, are captured in moments that illustrate foreign involvement in Iran’s internal affairs in the early 20th century.
Some of these images represent the earliest examples of journalistic photography in Iran. Given the photographers’ close access to military events and Russian troops, they may have been produced as diplomatic gifts or presented to foreign dignitaries, though their precise origins remain unknown.
