All the Sultan’s Albums: A Critical Gaze on the So-Called Abdülhamid Photographic Albums
by Prof. Edhem Eldem, Sakip Sabanci Visiting Professor of the Department of History, Columbia University in the City of New York
Description from the speaker
The Library of Istanbul University holds an impressive collection of photographs, which is proudly presented as the “Photographic Albums of Sultan Abdülhamid Khan II.” While with almost 1,000 albums containing over 36,000 photographs, this collection is truly a goldmine of visual information on the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 20th century, it has not yet been subjected to any systematic study of its nature, contents, and historical context. Beyond the very doubtful and problematic claim that this was Abdülhamid’s personal collection and numerous examples of albums or images being cherry-picked to feed scholarship and illustrate publications, this ‘collection’ – if it really is one – is in dire need of a critical examination of its structure, conducted in tandem with punctual soundings that might reveal some of its intricacies. The speech will be delivered in a lecture format, followed by an extended Q/A.
February 10, 2026
5:30-7:00 pm
Followed by a light reception
Rutgers Academic Building- West Wing, Seminar Room 6051,
15 Seminary Pl, New Brunswick, NJ
Rutgers students, please RSVP here: RSVP Link