Martiros Sildiriants' studio - located in the historic city of Singagi in Georgia’s south-eastern region of Kakheti - was established in the late 1890s and operated for at least two decades. The population of this little town was mainly made up of wealthy Georgian dynasties, but several Armenian clans such as painter Gevorg Bashinjaghyan's family also lived here. It appears that Sildiryants was the most prominent photographer in Singagi at the beginning of the 20^thcentury, and it is through his photographs today that we can assemble a visual impression about the town’s population. It is not known where he acquired his skills as a photographer, but Sildiryants’ portraits are skilful enough to suggest that he went through some years of professional training. The photographer took on a variety of commissions - from individual and double portraits to large group sittings for which a large painted backdrop was built in his pavilion. According to the information given by the studio’s seal, the photographs made by Sildiryants could be enlarged to ‘any size’. His numerous surviving cabinet card portraits focus on the external attributes of the portrayed as a means of expressing the public status and importance of the customers.

Vigen Galstyan, 2016