From Konstantiniyye to Istanbul: Photographs of the Anatolian Shore of the Bosphorus from the mid-19th to the 20th Century

“From Konstantiniyye to İstanbul,” is a collection of more than 200 photographs of the Asian shores of the Bosporus from a period that stretches from the mid-19th to 20th century. The second exhibition, held on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the commencement of diplomatic ties between Turkey and the Netherlands, is a selection of paintings, assembled under the title “Sultans, Merchants, Painters.”

The exhibition is comprised of the works by photography masters who practiced their art in İstanbul from the end of the XIXth to the early years of the XXth century. It is a selection from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Photograph Collection and from private collections, revealing the magnificent structures, the daily life and the intriguing personalities of an İstanbul of the past. İstanbul has evolved into an industrial city and an enormous metropolis: its silhouette, architecture, vehicles, bridges, quays, streets and public spaces have attained an entirely different appearance. Masters such as Ali Sami Aközer, Félice Beato, Guillame Berggren, Abdullah Biraderler, Gülmez Biraderler,Ernest Edouard de Caranza, Sebah&Joaillier, Maurice Meys, Ali Enis Oza, James Robertson and Elisa Pante Zonaro not only document the nostalgic images of the city during their time, but also will be taking us along a pleasant journey through photographs taken with the difficult and onerous techniques of the time.