Maryam Şahinyan (; 1911 in

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey) was a famed photographer who is considered the first woman studio photographer in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. She was of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent.

Life

Maryam Şahinyan was born at Şahinyan Konağı, now known as the Camlı Köşk in the city center of

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

. Her family owned much land in the region, including thirty villages and five flour mills and her grandfather, Paşa, was the representative of Sivas in the first

Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly (; French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" or ''Genel Parlamento''; ) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Also known as the Ottoman Parliament ('' Legislation o ...

. Her family lost their property and social standing during the

Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, and moved to an apartment in the Harbiye district of Istanbul. Şahinyan attended the local Armenian school Esayan and later the French Lycée Français Privé Sainte-Pulchérie. In 1936, Şahinyan's mother, Dikranuhi Şahinyan, died. Şahinyan was forced to leave school and start work for her father, Mihran, in the Galatasaray Photography Studio in the

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

district. Mihran had become a partner in the studio a few years prior, in 1933. Şahinyan became interested in photography, and in 1937 began managing the studio herself. She retired in 1985, having produced a collection of approximately 200,000 images. She died at her home on Hanımefendi Sokak in Şişli in 1996 and is buried in Şişli Armenian Cemetery. Maryam Sahinyan is considered the first woman photographer in Turkey. She knew French, Italian, Armenian and Turkish.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahinyan, Maryam 1911 births 1996 deaths People from Sivas People from Sivas vilayet Turkish people of Armenian descent Turkish photographers Ethnic Armenian photographers Turkish women photographers Burials at Şişli Armenian Cemetery 20th-century women photographers 20th-century Turkish photographers