SAEDNEWS: In photographs of Qajar women, what stands out is the presence of a mustache. The common factor? The photographer—Naser al-Din Shah, the first Iranian photographer and the only one able to capture these portraits of harem women.
According to the history section of SaedNews Analytical News Website, for years we have been astonished by images of full-figured women from the Qajar era. How could everyone be so overweight? Why did they all have such prominent mustaches? How were their eyebrows so thick, dense, and connected? And why were dark moles so common?
Evidence suggests that the faces in these photos may not be entirely realistic. Thick, connected eyebrows appear to have been the Shah’s personal preference, while painted-on mustaches were likely a way for women to express their devotion and admiration for the Shah’s own prominent mustache. Other features, such as dark moles, may have arisen from the repetitive nature of photographing women’s faces and the desire to create visual variety.
Some of the surviving photos depict “Anis al-Doleh,” a powerful woman of the Nasserian court. Known in many texts as a beautiful woman, Anis al-Doleh’s appearance in Naser al-Din Shah’s photographs is noticeably different, reflecting the era’s aesthetic conventions rather than her natural features.
