Bebek Seminary

 

 

 

Mavi Boncuk: Robert College Redux | The Earliest Daguerreotype Photo from Turkey

Possibly „The Earliest Daguerreotype Photo from Turkey“ a 1/4 Plate Daguerreotype photo of the school for Christian boys, the Bebek Seminary in Istanbul (Constantinople) Turkey showing the yali [1] rented from Yorgaki Chelebi, a rich Armenian merchant.
Director of ABCFM (Americal Bible Conference Foreign Missionary) Service Operation was Dr. Cyrus Hamlin[2] and is contained in the ABCFM Photo Archives of Andover Newton Thological Seminary in Massachusetts.
There was also another Daguerreotype (1/2 Plate) of 3 Christian Armenians students from the building. The Daguerreotype photo was possibly sent to the Seminary home to to either justify the money spent to buy building. The Roberts College archives have the original US passport of Cyrus Hamlin issued in Aug. 13th, 1838.
The time frame indicates the Daguerreotype period based on the the Bebek Seminar’s opening likely in 1839 & closing in 1843 .

Mavi Boncuk: Robert College Redux | The Earliest Daguerreotype Photo from Turkey