During my daily research into the history of photography, its origins, and tools, I came across this photograph in 2019. I found it among a pile of old photos, magazines, and newspapers, almost falling apart, in one of the antique and secondhand markets in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. Intrigued by the photograph, I began investigating its history with only the name of the studio and the country printed on it. My initial findings indicated that the photo was taken between 1880 and 1884 in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, by a photographer renowned in academic and artistic photographic circles worldwide and in Romania’s photographic culture, Franz Duschek.
I often delve into the history of photographs and cameras to document them and deepen my understanding of their historical, artistic, and technical contexts. These insights later serve as material for my research articles on the history of photography. However, what caught my attention and piqued my curiosity about this particular photograph was the embroidered attire of the woman in the image. The dress bore a striking resemblance to traditional Palestinian embroidered garments, known as the "thobe," as well as the attire of the broader Levant region. This resemblance prompted me to investigate further.
I began questioning whether the woman could have been from a migrant generation from the Levant, specifically Palestine, to Romania. Research revealed that a significant number of Palestinian and Levantine families had migrated to Romania and neighboring countries during the Ottoman presence along the Black Sea coasts. After a brief investigation, I found that the traditional Romanian attire closely resembled, almost to an astonishing degree, the Palestinian embroidered thobe and traditional clothing from other Levantine countries. While this resemblance was intriguing, I did not delve deeply into the possible cultural influences between Palestinian or Levantine migrants and Romanian folk attire, as it was outside the scope of my research. Nevertheless, I hope that someone might someday explore whether the ancient Canaanite Palestinian thobe influenced Romanian folkloric dress.
The most surprising discovery about this photograph came when I searched the Romanian National Archives for historical photographs using the time period and the photographer’s name. I found that the image I had was of Queen Pauline Elisabeth of Romania. She had a passion for photographing herself in traditional Romanian attire to present herself to Romanian society as one of their own, as she was of German descent. Pauline Elisabeth became a princess after marrying a Romanian prince in the 1860s and later ascended as Queen of Romania when her husband, King Carol, was crowned in 1881, marking the establishment of the Romanian monarchy.
This photograph is one of the rare copies, most of which were directly sent to the queen or kept in the royal archive. Some were distributed by the royal palace as gifts to princes, princesses, and the aristocracy of Romania on national occasions, along with other photographs of the king and the royal family. Therefore, finding a copy of such a photograph among a heap of deteriorating papers, newspapers, and magazines is an extraordinarily rare occurrence. My search into the storage locations of such royal photographs revealed that the original copies are preserved only in Romania’s historical archives and the Romanian Museum.
What adds even more fascination to this story is that the queen in the photograph, before becoming a princess, during her time as a princess, and even after her coronation as queen, was an accomplished poet. She wrote and published poetry in German, French, English, and Romanian under her literary pseudonym "Carmen Sylva," a name well-known in German literary circles in particular and European and Romanian literary circles in general. After her coronation, she earned the title of "The Literary Queen."
The photographer Franz Duschek, who captured this image, was one of the most celebrated and renowned photographers in Bucharest. Although not Romanian himself, he became known across Europe for his artistic indoor portraits, taken either in his studio or in the homes of wealthy aristocrats and the royal family. Duschek also gained particular fame for his children’s portraits, considered some of the most challenging to capture. He would often use sweets and toys to distract the children from the camera.
In 1883, Duschek decided to leave Romania due to health issues exacerbated by the cold climate. Seeking a milder environment, he moved to Alexandria, Egypt, after selling all his possessions in Bucharest. Unfortunately, Duschek passed away a year later in Alexandria.
Sources differ regarding his birthplace and place of death. Some suggest he was born in Prague, while others claim Budapest. Similarly, his death is variably reported as having occurred in Suez or Alexandria. What remains undisputed in all accounts is that Franz Duschek was an exceptional and pioneering photographer who left behind a remarkable legacy in photographic art, particularly in portraiture. His iconic portraits of the "Literary Queen," Carmen Sylva, remain a testament to his artistry.
By Mohammad Hannon / originaly written in Arabic and published in Arabic newspapers.
Palestinian-Jordanian Photographer
Comments