Behind the Lens: The Photographers of the Emamzadeh Yahya and Varamin

Keelan Overton, with contributions by Jens Kröger, Martina Massullo, Joanne Bloom, Delphine Desveaux, Ryan Murray, and Alisala Nunes

Photography has played a seminal role in the historiography of the Emamzadeh Yahya. In this feature exploring 8 photographers over 100 years (ca. 1880–1980), we turn the lens on the photographers themselves, exploring their biographies and contributions and providing practical resources for using their archives today. All of the photographers hail from North America or Europe, and many are well-known travelers and scholars in the historiography of Persian art. The invited contributors include archivists and curators who work with and oversee the collections. For an analysis of the photographs themselves, see the Photo Timeline.