Parnukayan owned one of the more famous pre-revolutionary photography studios in Alexandrapol (Gyumri). The proprietor, Gevorg Parunakyan, founded the establishment at the beginning of the 20th century and, after some time, attached his brother Levon to the business. In the 1910s the studio was renamed into ‘G. and L. Parunakyan Brothers’. Biographical details about either of the brothers have not yet come to light. Thanks to their photographs, we have been bestowed with an extensive gallery of portraits representing the different segments of Alexandrapol’s multi-sectional society at the turn of the 20^thcentury. Richly stocked with expensive European furniture, props and meticulously painted architectural backgrounds, the pavilion created an impressively ‘modern’ or ‘upper class’ setting for locals wishing to demonstrate their social aspirations. Thus, Parunakyan’s photographs have great historical significance for the study of pre-Soviet life and urban culture in Armenia. Of particular note is the collection of family photographs made for one of the city’s richest dynasties - the Dzitoghyants family – which is currently kept at the Gyumri Museum of Folk Architecture and Urban Life.

Vigen Galstyan, 2016