Gazing Through A Lens:

Ali Khan Documents Nineteenth-Century Iran

2018

This short documentary essay (20 min) explores a photo album from late 19th-century Iran. Created by Ali Khan Vali (1846–1902), a local governor and avid photographer, the album is a unique collection of over 1,400 photographs annotated with handwritten text across 440 pages. It meticulously records the ethnographic diversity of 19th-century Northwest Iran. The documentary examines the personal and public narratives, the changing representation of women throughout the album, and how the inclusion and exclusion of certain subjects reflect underlying social norms.