Pascal Sébah

Pascal Sébah (1823–1886) was a pioneering Ottoman photographer, best known for his extensive work documenting Anatolia, Egypt, and Greece. Born in Istanbul to a Syrian father and an Armenian mother, he initially collaborated with French photographer Henri Bechard. After winning medals at the International Exhibition in Paris, Sébah opened his own studio in Constantinople in 1857, named *El Chark* (meaning “The Orient”), which catered to the growing demand for tourist photography. Sébah’s studio became a central hub for tourist photography, particularly as travel to Egypt increased in the second half of the 19th century. His photographs, often produced as souvenirs, were part of a broader wave of Orientalist photography alongside other prominent photographers like Félix Bonfils, Gustave Le Gray, and the Beato brothers. In 1873, Sébah expanded by opening a second studio in Cairo and exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Vienna. A significant collaboration in Sébah’s career was with Turkish painter and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey. Sébah worked with Hamdi Bey, experimenting with light and shade in photography, and his images were used to illustrate Hamdi Bey’s work *Les Costumes Populaires de la Turquie* (1873), a study of Turkish costumes. After Sébah’s death in 1886, his studio continued under the management of his brother Cosmi, and later, in 1888, French photographer Polycarpe Joaillier became a partner, renaming the studio *Sebah & Joaillier*. Sébah’s son, Jean Pascal Sébah, joined the studio in 1888 and continued the family business, which became renowned for its Orientalist photography. By 1889, the studio had earned the distinction of being the official photographers to the Prussian Court. The studio remained in operation until 1973, continuing to influence the world of photography for decades. Sébah passed away in 1886 and was buried in Istanbul’s Feriköy Latin Catholic Cemetery, where his son Jean Pascal would later be interred as well.