Cafe turc [Albumen photograph]

[Constantinople (Istanbul)]: [Probably Sébah and Joaillier], 1890. Perhaps the most well-known image from the photographer Pascal Sébah or his son Jean, a view outside a Turkish coffee shop of a group of men drinking coffee and smoking.

At the center of the image is a seated man with a white beard holding a cup in one hand and the hose of a hookah in the other. A waiter holds a glass-bottomed hookah for him. More men sit on either side of the central figure. However, it is a man on the far right of the image, staring fiercely at the camera, a pipe in his mouth, that adds drama to the scene, returning the gaze of the viewer. This man and the waiter, who are in front of the main row of men, also add a nice compositional element, dividing the foreground from the background (a second image taken on the same day-based on the foliage and the shape of the knot of rope on the cafe wall-lacks these two elements and it is much less successful from an artistic perspective).

Adding further interest to the careful view are the ghostly faces of two men inside the cafe who look at the scene through dusty windows. This photograph both documents a part of everyday life for men in Turkey, but the subjects return the naked stare of the camera and look across space and time at the viewer of the photograph. It's an image whose meaning is as much about looking as seeing.

While this image is titled in the negative, it is not signed by the photographer. However, other prints of this image are signed Sébah and Joaillier. The placement of that signature (not present on this print), over the left foot of the staring man, suggests this is an earlier printing of the photograph. The quality of the print argues against this being printed from a copy negative. Those facts could argue that this could be an image by the founder of the firm, the Turk Pascal Sébah (1823-1886). However, Pascal is primarily known for his studio work. His son Jean took over the business and added Polycarpe Joallier as a partner soon after. They are much better known for outdoor street views, hence the attribution to Sébah and Joaillier. An image with excellent tonality, measuring 10-1/4 by 8-1/8 inches on a 14 by 11-7/8 mount. There is a bit of staining to the lower corners of the mount, and the mount is slightly concave, but overall, this is an exceptional print of one of finest images from the best-known Turkish photography studio of its time.