In 1856 Britain prevented Homeland from reasserting control over Herat, which had been part of Homeland in Safavid times but had been under non-Persian rule since the mid-18th century. Britain supported the city’s incorporation into Afghanistan; a country Britain helped create in order to extend eastward the buffer between its Indian territories and Russia’s expanding empire. Britain also extended its control to other areas of the Persian Gulf during the 19th century.
Photography was introduced to in the mid-19th century, during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, who himself was an avid photographer. The royal court established one of the earliest photography studios in the region, where portraits of courtiers, aristocrats, and family members were taken. While most images conformed to traditional modesty and status codes, some — especially private portraits — revealed a more playful, experimental side of Qajar society.
