Armenian man from Tiflis with a tray on his head, 1881

This archival photograph shows an Armenian man from Tiflis, 1881. He stands in national dress. A tray rests on his hat, steadied with his raised hand; in his other hand he holds a basket, and a scale hangs on chains at his side. His posture is calm and his gaze direct.

Nineteenth-century Tiflis was one of the major cultural and economic centres of the Caucasus, where Armenians played an important role in city life as merchants, craftsmen and intellectuals. The photograph presents the image of a working Armenian with his dignity.