The Royal Lens: Naser al-Din Shah's Photography of his Harem

“Khosronejad’s unique collection provides us with a treasure trove of images focusing on the daily life of Naser al-Din Shah, his wives, concubines, and slaves of both sexes.” - Janet Afary, Mellichamp Professor of Religious Studies, UC Santa Barbara. “Pedram Khosronejad has provided invaluable new information about the history of photography in Iran during the 19th-century Qajar period. In particular he has carefully researched the photographs taken by Naser al-Din Shah, perhaps the Qajar monarch most fascinated by Western technology. These intimate photographs of his own harem are unique and highly informative, not just for their intrinsic value in a period in which human images were disapproved of, but also for what they reveal about Naser al-Din Shah, his self-image, his household and his court.” - William Beemann, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota