Studio ‘Georges’ (Жоржъ) was a key photographic establishment in pre-revolutionary Baku – the cosmopolitan business capital of the Caucasus. The studio was opened in 1883 at the commercial house of Tumaev on the Politseyskaya street and was moved to the Gumilevsky House in 1898.(*) The establishment operated at this location at least until the end of the 1910s as evidenced from dated photographs. Shamkharov’s clientele was primarily made up of Baku’s middle and upper classes. The studio was patronized by Armenians and Azerbaijanis but was especially favored by the city’s Russian population. Shamkharov’s portraits are notable for their elegant framing, composition and the sparse, but beautifully employed props and background sets. In some instances where the subject was of special interest, the photographer aimed for a psychological insight that went beyond the set requirement of a perfect likeness.

*see http://www.ourbaku.com/index.php5/Фотоателье_“Жорж”_-_фотографии (accessed 15.12.2015)

Vigen Galstyan, 2015