[PHOTOGRAPHY / SHAH OF IRAN] Original CDV of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar

NASER AL-DIN SHAH QAJAR, (1831-1896), N.p., [Iran, probably Tehran], [ca. 1890].

Original albumen print mounted on pinkish thick cardboard (17 x 11 cm). The size of the photographic area is 14x10,5 cm. No photographic studio. A handwritten note on verso: "Docteur Basil, Mari de Tante Clementine Cousine de Maman". All edges gilt.

Scarce early albumen print of Naser Al-Din Shah Qajar (1831-1896). No photography studio, place, and date indication. Mounted on pinkish thick cardboard.

Naser Al-Din Shah Qajar was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek Jahan Khanom and the third longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history after Shapur II of the Sassanid dynasty and Tahmasp I of the Safavid dynasty. Nasser al-Din Shah had sovereign power for close to 51 years.

He was the first modern Persian monarch who formally visited Europe and wrote of his travels in his memoirs. A modernist, he allowed the establishment of newspapers in the country and made use of modern forms of technology such as telegraphs, and photography and also planned concessions for railways and irrigation works. Despite his modernizing reforms on education, his tax reforms were abused by people in power, and the government was viewed as corrupt and unable to protect commoners from abuse by the upper class which led to increasing antigovernmental sentiments. He ended up being assassinated when visiting a shrine. (Wikipedia).