A CARTE DE VISITE ALBUMEN PRINT PORTRAIT OF NASIR AL-DIN SHAH QAJAR (R. 1848 - 1896)
France, ca. 1873, printed and distributed by Maison Lefevres Frères in Paris

A CARTE DE VISITE ALBUMEN PRINT PORTRAIT OF NASIR AL-DIN SHAH QAJAR (R. 1848 - 1896)
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ENGLISH BIBLIOPHILE
France, ca. 1873, printed and distributed by Maison Lefevres Frères in Paris

Albumen print laid on board, the half-length portrait depicting the king in full military regalia, the Persian, Austrian, and French decorations to the right of his moire sash, the fan-shaped aigrette bearing an imprint of the crown on his Astrakhan fur hat, the lower margin printed ‘The Shah of Persia’, 10.5cm x 6.4cm.

Provenance: purchased from David Loman (Bookseller), London, in 1981.

Nasir al-Din Shah sat for this popular portrait during his first European tour in 1873, the first ever such visit by a Persian monarch. An analogous copy of this CvD albumen print in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery bears the stamp of Makzamoff. The present copy, taken in France and clearly destined for export to the UK given the English inscription, attests to the far-reaching popularity of the Persian king. Incidentally, he was an amateur photographer himself and established a photography studio at the Golestan Palace in Tehran.

(Quantity:1)

Dimensions: 10.5cm x 6.4cm