Dolmabahce Palace

In 1842, construction on the new Dolmabahçe palace began and would take twelve years to complete. Sultan Abdülmecid I commissioned architects Garabed Balyan and Nikogos Balyan to design a lavish neo-baroque European style palace with distinct Ottoman character. Despite being the home of the sultan for only a short period of time, the palace has remained standing as a museum since 1952.  

The photography firm of Sébah & Joaillier went into business together in 1888 in Istanbul and was subsequently named the official photographer of the sultan. Although the partnership of Jean Pascal Sébah and Polycarpe Joaillier dissolved after ten years, during that time they photographed the sultan and his empire extensively. Taken from the shores of the Bosphorus, we can see one such photograph taken by Sébah & Joaillier, capturing the grandeur of the Dolmabahçe Palace as it extends along the water. In it, the pristine white opulence of the Palace is juxtaposed by the black clad figures of everyday Istanbulites scattered along the foreground of the photograph. The only thing separating one from the other is the water at their feet.