The mapping of photographer’s studio in Izmir 1900-1950: From Frank Street to Kemeraltı

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to discuss the link between the photographer and the city based on a close reading of the historical dislocation and the transformation of urban space. Therefore, it is possible to say that both in the past and today, migrations are changing urban spaces by influencing the social, cultural, and economic structures in cities. In this context, the study focuses on the mappings produced in photographer's studios in Izmir between 1900 and 1950. Mapping is a creative method that accommodates various representation possibilities and that consequently propounds unpredictable relationships. In this framework, in order to show both the experiences of the exile and their reflection in urban spaces, the network of photographers in the city have been visually analyzed. Before 1922, 62 photographers were active in İzmir. Around half of them were from Levantine or Armenian origin who settled in Izmir, and their studios were situated on the Frank and the Rose Streets of the city. After 1922, Turkish-Muslim photographers replaced them. Most of these Turkish-Muslim immigrant photographers preferred to open their studios around Kemeraltı as a significant commercial zone. Habits of urban space use and the Kemeraltı region were reshaped and defined together with the existence of these immigrants.