After Ohannes Kurkdjian, Tariverdyants was the first photographer to have a permanent studio in Yerevan. According to Vahan Kochar, Tariverdiyants acquired his photographic skills in Leipzig and, returning to Yerevan, opened a studio at with 11 Astafyan street on the current  territory of the Republic Square. He was assisted here by his wife, Elisabeth Ananyan, and, somewhat later, by his Hovhannes.(1)

Besides commercial portraiture, Tariverdyants also worked in other genres. Among the more interesting of such images are the urban views of Yerevan and documentary photographs of local historical buildings and monuments, such as the photograph of Sardar’s palace, which no longer exists. Tariverdyants’ stylistic approach is characterised by a gentle, observational realism and the desire to capture the unique spatial qualities of the natural environment. One may detect here a possible influence of Gustave Le Gray’s and Roger Fenton’s landscape photography and in this, Tariverdyants’ landscape images occupy a unique place in the history of 19t century Eastern-Armenian photography.

The photographer’s talent was also noted in Europe. As indicated by the golden medals reproduced on Tariverdyants’ studio backstamps, he actively participate in international exhibitions and was awarded a medal in a 1909 showcase in Rotterdam and another one in Rome in 1910.

1)Vahan Kochar, Hay Lusankarichner (in Armenian), self-published, 2007, pp.160-166

Vigen Galstyan, 2016