The Dildilians: an Armenian household between historical past and pictures / Turkey / Areas / Homepage

An Armenian household whose future is intertwined with pictures and Turkey’s advanced historical past. An interview with Armen Marsoobian, professor of philosophy and editor of Metaphilosophy journal, a descendant of the Dildilian household, and himself a passionate photographer and collector

Where does the Dildilian household, of which you’re a descendant, have its roots? Where does your reference to pictures come from?

My ancestors got here from what’s now the Anatolian metropolis of Sivas, previously Sebastia. Over the centuries, they earned a dwelling as blacksmiths, pastry cooks, and shoemakers. The turning level got here in 1888 when my grandfather Tsolag determined to take up pictures as a career. He had creative inclinations and could not see himself working as a cobbler within the household enterprise. His father Krikor initially resisted however quickly gave up, giving his son a large-format digicam. After a short apprenticeship, Tsolag took his first photograph, a portrait of his youthful brother Aram.

The transition from novice to skilled wasn’t straightforward for Tsolag. It required darkroom tools and the assistance of an professional. Krikor got here to his support as soon as once more, contacting a widely known Armenian photographer working in what was then Constantinople, one Mikael Natourian. With the promise of a money reward, obtained by mortgaging the household residence, Krikor invited him to maneuver to Sivas and requested him to arrange a pictures studio together with his son. At that time, Tsolag had every part he wanted to start his photographic journey: the Natourian-Dildilian studio was born.

Now a short digression. In the territories of the Ottoman Empire, Armenians held a close to monopoly within the pictures trade. How can this preponderance be defined?

There are numerous hypotheses. Sunni Islam’s aversion to the illustration of photos hindered the entry of Muslims into the nascent pictures market within the mid-Nineteenth century, thus permitting minorities to dominate the trade from the very starting.

Many Armenians practiced the professions of pharmacists and goldsmiths, and subsequently had the supplies and information to extra simply transition to the photographic medium. The strategies of the time required a sure familiarity with the chemical processes obligatory for creating and printing.

Finally, the vigorous cultural change between ethnic and non secular minorities and Europe shouldn’t be underestimated. Armenians, Greeks, and Jews had been knowledgeable and influenced by what was occurring within the Old World, greater than the Turks had been, and photographic artwork was no exception.

In latest years, the historical past of pictures within the Ottoman Empire has seen renewed curiosity from the tutorial world, but analysis has centered totally on pictures studios in massive cities. Therefore, the tales and pictures of photographers who labored on the periphery of the empire, similar to the Dildilians, stay unknown to most.

My household’s historical past is expensive to me not just for sentimental causes, however above all as a result of it’s intertwined with the destinies of the Armenian folks in Anatolia.

Let’s return to Tsolag. How did your profession start?

At the time, it was modern for the wealthiest folks to have their portraits taken. Krikor was a rich man with high-level connections. Tsolag and Mikael’s first shoppers had been native notables.

The studio’s fame quickly unfold to the encircling provinces. In 1890, the duo determined to maneuver to Merzifon, a city within the Black Sea area. Shortly after the transfer, Mikael died, leaving Tsolag solely accountable for the way forward for the enterprise.

There was no scarcity of labor in Merzifon, because of the presence of Anatolia College, an academic establishment based by American Protestant missionaries. The advanced additionally included a seminary, an orphanage, and a hospital. The faculty’s administration was in fixed want of photos: commencement ceremonies, class pictures, for varsity yearbooks, and for promoting functions.

The collaboration with Tsolag grew to become so intense that in 1894 he was employed instantly because the official photographer. Business was booming, a lot in order that his cousin Sumpad opened a follow in Samsun. The identical was true for his personal life. Tsolag married Mariam, a lady initially from Elazığ, and had a chic, traditional-style residence constructed close to the school.

It was throughout these very years (1894-1897) that the Hamidian massacres occurred in Anatolia. What occurred to the Dildilian household?

Those had been troublesome years for the Armenian minority. In Merzifon itself and all through Anatolia, common uprisings occurred, typically bloodily repressed by the Ottoman authorities. Fortunately, the Dildilians managed to outlive that interval unscathed. Some family members had beforehand deserted the Armenian Apostolic Church for the Protestant Church, which granted them a form of immunity.

The Dildilians, like many different Armenians, had been characterised by a robust entrepreneurial spirit. They had concepts and knew tips on how to make them worthwhile, typically and willingly they grew to become wealthy, producing envy among the many Turkish-Muslim majority. This

This resentment, mixed with a spirit of revanchism, resurfaced in a way more bloody method from 1915 to 1923, inflicting the Medz Yeghern, the Great Crime, the tragedy that nearly utterly depopulated Anatolia of Armenians.

When and the way did the Dildilians abandon Anatolia? And how did they handle to protect their photographic archive?

On August 6, 1915, a high-ranking Ottoman officer warned Tsolag {that a} roundup would quickly be happening. There was just one possibility left for survival: conversion to Islam. There was no time to waste. The males of the household went to the Merzifon city corridor the place they recited their career of religion earlier than the native mufti, successfully turning into Muslims.

For the Dildilian household, each day life grew to become a relentless compromise. Religious holidays had been celebrated in secret. To assist themselves, Tsolag and Aram needed to work as photographers for political authorities and even the military. In these years, lots of of 1000’s of Armenians had been deported to Anatolia and perished through the so-called dying marches. All round was nothing however dying and destruction. With the assistance of Near East Relief, an American charity, the 2 at the least managed to open an orphanage, as evidenced by some splendid and transferring portraits.

Further massacres in Merzifon and household turmoil pressured the household to hunt refuge in Samsun. In November 1922, emissaries from Near East Relief knowledgeable Aram of the approaching arrival of a ship, the SS Belgravia, which might rescue as many refugees and orphans as doable.

The Dildilians rapidly determined to desert Anatolia ceaselessly; in all chance, such a possibility would by no means come up once more. In just below 24 hours, they packed their luggage and took with them as many adverse plates as doable, stealing area from different private objects — a transparent act of affection for pictures. After an advanced journey, by way of Odessa and Istanbul, they landed in Athens.

From then on, the household cut up: some remained in Greece, others emigrated to France, and others discovered themselves abroad, finally turning into a part of the huge Armenian diaspora.

A choice of pictures from the Dildilian archive has beforehand been exhibited in Turkey. What are you able to inform us about it?

Between 2013 and 2015, the cities of Istanbul, Merzifon, Diyarbakır, and Ankara hosted a touring exhibition. Given the delicate subject material, organizing such an exhibition was not straightforward. There had been misunderstandings with the authorities and controversy with the press, however we succeeded. Of course, in these years the political local weather was extra favorable, much less hostile than right this moment. Having stated that, I wish to thank Osman Kavala; with out his assist, this mission would by no means have develop into a actuality.