Pascal Sébah (1823-1886) was a leading photographer in Constantinople in the 1870s and 1880s. He was born in Constantinople to a Syrian Catholic father and an Armenian mother. In 1857 he opened his first photography studio in Constantinople and by 1873 was successful enough to open another studio in Cairo. Sébah's career coincided with intense Western interest in the Orient, which was viewed as exotic and fascinating. Sébah took fascinating photographs of the various peoples of the Ottoman Empire in their exotic costumes, including the Circassians. Constantinopolitan photographers, such as Sébah and Abdullah Frères, had a ready market selling images to Western customers. His son Jean (or Johannes) P. Sébah (1874-1947) also achieved fame as a photographer.
Here are some of Pascal Sébah’s “Circassian” photographs. They make a solid indication that the Circassians played significant military and administrative roles in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 19th century.
1. “A Circassian Officer, ADC [aide-de-camp] to the Sultan”. Photograph by Pascal Sébah, 1880.
2. “Circassien” [“Ottoman Circassian Officer”]. Positive photograph, albumen print by Pascal Sébah. Size: 13 cm x 9.2 cm.
3. “Circassien 1” [“Circassian 1”]. Photograph, albumen print by Pascal Sébah, 1870. Size: 10.5 cm x 6.3 cm.
4. “Circassien 2” [“Circassian 2”]. Photograph, albumen print by Pascal Sébah, 1870.
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5. “Sultan Barkouk. Tombeau de Calife au Caire”. Tomb of Mamluk Sultan Barquq, the founder of the Circassian [Burji] Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt and Syria; ruled 1382-1389 and 1390-1399 AD. Photograph, albumen print by Pascal Sébah. Size: 26.4 cm x 34.4 cm.
