Title: Photo-Panoramic View of Constantinople

Description

Hatchik “Christopher” Oscanyan (born 1818) was an author, diplomat, and publisher of the first Armenian-language newspaper in Constantinople. A native of Constantinople, Oscanyan was educated in New York City, to which he would later return as Ottoman consul-general. He energetically promoted the Ottoman Empire in a variety of media, including a London exhibition entitled the “Oriental and Turkish Museum” (1853), a popular book entitled The Sultan and His People (1887), and photographs such as this one. “Panoramic” photographs employ a variety of techniques to create a wide angle of view. This “photo-panoramic view” is comprised of three photographs set together to give the viewer a broader image than would have been practical with a single photograph. In the top right section of this iconic view can be seen the minarets of the Sultan Ahmed or “Blue” Mosque and the Hagia Sofia.