R. Babayan was the sole proprietor of one of Baku’s most popular photographic studios, ‘Rembrandt’. Famous in his time, Babayan was a typical example of a photographer-businessman and his establishment prospered during the oil boom in Baku in the 1900s. A number of Armenian writers, such as Shirvanzade, have used Babayan’s personage in their literary works set in Baku. The ‘Rembrandt’ studio produced exclusively portraits of Baku’s middle and upper classes. Babayan’s clientele was cosmopolitan and was not limited to the local Armenian community. His photographs are professionally made, but do not deviate from standard late 19th century studio aesthetics. Though we are not aware of any works by him with ‘artistic’ aspirations, Babayan did participate in an international art show in Belgium where, according to his studio backstamp, he was given a gold medal.
 It appears that after the advent of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan, the studio was closed or nationalized.

Vigen Galstyan, 2016