How does one portray a country? Imagine someone asked you to create a photo series depicting Switzerland. What subjects would you choose? What people, what professions? What kind of landscapes and architecture? Would you photograph a Waadtländer woman farmer or a Zurich banker – or would that be too clichéd? If you were commissioned to produce the series for an American magazine, would you stage it differently than if you were giving it to a Swiss friend as a gift? These and similar questions were probably on the mind of photographer Antoin Sevruguin (1851–1933) at the end of the 19th century when he began creating a portrait of Iran, his adopted home, in hundreds of photos. Sixty-three of the approximately 400 photographs by Sevruguin, which are owned by Museum Rietberg, are the focus of a fascinating exhibition entitled “Iran – Portrait of a Country”.

HOW DOES A “SECONDO” SEE THE WORLD?
Antoin Sevruguin was born in 1851 to Armenian parents in Iran, grew up in the Georgian city of Tiflis and later worked in Tehran. Nowadays, we would probably call him a “secondo”, a Swiss term referring to a second-generation immigrant. Indeed, he referred to himself for a time as a “Russian photographer”, spoke Farsi, Armenian, Georgian and probably Azeri (a Turkic language), advertised his services in French as a “photographe artistique”, but considered himself Iranian at heart.

His goal was to produce a portrait of his adopted country which was as complete as possible. His oeuvre comprises some 7,000 photographs. During his lifetime, he saw his photos published in European books, was awarded gold medals for his work in Brussels and Paris and was ennobled by the Shah in 1900. Even today, Iranian artists include references to him in their own works.

And yet, a large number of international and Iranian experts still regard Antoin Sevruguin as a “foreigner”, someone who photographed the country and its people from the perspective of an “outsider”. But is that truly the case – and if so, how is it inscribed in his photos? Are Sevruguin’s portraits of people indeed only “exotic”, “orientalistic” or “ethnographic”? Or was he perhaps particularly suited to capturing diverse perspectives on account of his “migration background”? Ultimately, he succeeded in meeting multiple visual expectations, be it Western or Iranian.


TYPE PORTRAITS AND A COUNTRY IN TRANSFORMATION
Such expectations are perhaps most evident in the Orientalist “typological portraits” that were extremely popular in Europe at the time. The images appear to emphasise the typically “oriental” character of the subjects. At the start of his career, Sevruguin occasionally took such typological portraits, but as time went on, he increasingly distanced himself from this practice. His portraits became “more Iranian” and were frequently intended for his compatriots. This is especially recognisable in the body language of the men and women he photographed, the details of which differ from that of European portraits.
 
Under the rule of Nasir al-Din Shah, who governed from 1848 to 1896, Iran underwent enormous transformation. Western modernity arrived in the form of a polytechnic institute, telegraph service and the railroad. The Shah even opened the country’s first art museum. New mosques and palaces were built which combined traditional Iranian architecture with European and even Turkish elements. Sevruguin’s balanced, and sometimes spectacular shots of these new buildings are among some of his best known works.
 
His landscape photography is no less impressive, ranging from stunning close-ups to majestic vistas. The individuals pictured in these provide a sense of the pictorial depth and vastness of the landscapes.