Exhbit Label:
SALESMAN
Singer sewing machine salesman Stepan Dingilian commissioned this photo of himself and his client in 1899 in the town of Sivri-Hissar near Angora (Ankora), Ottoman Empire.
On the back of the photo, Stepan Dingilian wrote a greeting to "my loyal friend, Dikran Effendi Tobatian" wishing him "a Happy New Year on the threshold of the 20th century."
Even in 1899 Singer sewing machines were referred to as domestic, not industrial, technology, and were marketed to women in North America and Europe for making their family's clothing and also earning money doing piece work. Interestingly, this photo in the Ottoman Empire, a relatively new market for Singer, does not include women.
Singer sewing machine salesman Stepan Dingilian commissioned this photo of himself and his client in 1899 in the town of Sivri-Hissar near Angora (Ankora), Ottoman Empire.
On the back of the photo, Stepan Dingilian wrote a greeting to "my loyal friend, Dikran Effendi Tobatian" wishing him "a Happy New Year on the threshold of the 20th century."
Even in 1899 Singer sewing machines were referred to as domestic, not industrial, technology, and were marketed to women in North America and Europe for making their family's clothing and also earning money doing piece work. Interestingly, this photo in the Ottoman Empire, a relatively new market for Singer, does not include women.
Photo ID#:
AROIAN, Armine 1-04
Place:
Ankara/Angora/Ankara Vilayet/Ottoman Empire/Turkey
Date:
1899
Photographer:
Unknown
People:
Dingilian, Stephen
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