At the turn of the 20th century, in the popular art and media of the “West,” the “Middle East” was depicted as a mysterious, exotic region. Cliched images such as camels, deserts, half-naked dancing women, and buildings with minarets and domes were ubiquitous in illustrating anything related to Iran or the Middle East.
These are images from a recently-found completely unrecorded Shahnameh in British Library collection. This copy of Shahnameh is probably from 1640, illustrated by by Muhammad Yusuf, a prolific artist during the reigns of the Safavid rulers Shah Safi (r. 1629-42) and Shah Abbas II (r. 1642-66).
Edwin Lord Weeks (1849-1903) was an American artist. He made many voyages to the East, including Iran. In 1895, he wrote and illustrated a book of travels, From the Black Sea through Persia and India, which has many illustrations of Iran (Persia).
During the first 13 years of activity before the Iranian revolution (1965-1978) The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults – also known as Kanoon – produced and published books, records, and films for children and young Iranians. Here is a collection of cover designs for “Voices of the Poets” series published in the 1970s.
During the first 13 years of activity before the Iranian revolution (1965-1978) The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, Also known as Kanoon, produced and published books, records, and films for children and young Iranians. Here is a collection of cover designs for “Kanoon” Audio Books from that era.
Mosaic decorating in San’at Square. Shahrake Gharb, Tehran, October 2012.
Female dancers, sometimes holding knives while performing acrobatics, were the subjects of paintings in Qajar Period. None of these acrobatic performances are documented in the photographs of the era.
Comic books were not popular in Iran until the 1960s when a children’s magazine, Keyhan Bacheha, began publishing them. Between 1969 to 1977 Universal Publishers, published thirteen books from Tintin series.
An undated talisman for warding off co-wife. It is most probably from the late 19th century or early 20th century.
