Drie mannen in een paard en wagen, Iran [?] c. 1880 - 1910

Editor: This is a gelatin-silver print entitled "Three Men in a Horse and Wagon, Iran [?]", attributed to Antoine Sevruguin and dating from around 1880 to 1910. It's fascinating how stark and staged it feels. What layers do you see within it? Curator: The photographic lens offers, and simultaneously obscures, the realities of late 19th-century Iran under the Qajar dynasty. Consider how Sevruguin, a photographer of Armenian-Georgian heritage working in Iran, both documented and perhaps constructed a certain image for Western consumption. How does this photograph reinforce or challenge orientalist tropes prevalent at the time? Editor: I see the carefully arranged composition, the detail in the men’s clothing and the horses' harnesses. The figures seem posed, almost like actors. But where do we draw the line between documentation and a Western fantasy of the ‘Orient’? Curator: Precisely. The landscape is barren, almost theatrical, drawing attention to the figures and their mode of transport. Think about the power dynamics inherent in this gaze. Who is controlling the narrative here? The photographer? The sitters? The implied Western audience? Editor: So, it’s more than just a picture of men in a carriage. It is really about control and the photographer's cultural position. That said, isn’t there some agency on the part of the subjects here as well? Curator: Exactly. Their stillness could suggest both subjugation and a form of silent resistance. We have to acknowledge the multilayered ways identity is negotiated through this photograph. It's about deconstructing, rather than simply viewing. Editor: It certainly gives me a lot to consider in terms of representation and who holds the power to create narratives through images. Curator: Indeed. Recognizing that power dynamic and challenging those imposed narratives are central to truly seeing this piece.