Partizak (today Kocaeli) is located not far from the town of Izmit in western Turkey. The Armenian-populated settlement was founded in the 16th century by Armenians from the Sebastia province. Approximately 17,000 Armenians lived here at the beginning of the 20th century. The lifestyle of Partizak’s inhabitants had a predominantly urban character. It had eight schools, regular theatrical performances and published several Armenian-language newspapers. The town also had a number of photographic studios, the most famous of which was Assadour Assadourian’s pavilion. Unfortunately, no biographical information about the photographer has reached us. His establishment most likely operated up to the 1915 purge of the Armenians from the region. Surviving photographs are rare and consist exclusively of studio portraits. Among these, the group photographs of Armenian families are of particular note as they give us important visual clues about the habits and traditions of the Armenian population of that region.

Vigen Galstyan, 2016