In ʿAks-i Nāqābel rā Persiska (Farsi) 2025-09-15

Amateur photographers typically held their cameras horizontally when taking pictures, a common practice that came with a significant advantage: it allowed them to capture a wider and more complete view of people’s living spaces and daily habits—how they dressed, socialized, hosted guests, raised children, did laundry, went on picnics, worked, lived, experienced happiness and misfortune…

The photos presented here are mostly of domestic interiors and do not provide much insight into outdoor life—images of public, everyday social life in the streets are still primarily found in the archives of professional photographers, not in home albums. Family albums, usually numbering a few per household (sometimes several), came in pocket-sized, adhesive, or clasped forms, with patterned tissue papers to prevent the photos from sticking together. They could also be spiral-bound, sewn, or held together with plastic screws. Some were luxurious and expensive, with a small built-in mechanism in the cover that played a universally appealing, nostalgic melody when the album was opened.