Armenian man of Tiflis in traditional dress, 1915

The photograph was taken in 1915, in the period of the Russian Empire. It shows a member of the Armenian community of Tiflis (Tbilisi).

The man reclines on a rug with his hand at his chin. He wears a tall fur hat and a long chokha with cords across the chest. A sheathed weapon lies across his knees. Behind him are a wooden fence and a painted landscape.

According to the source, the tall hat, the rug with oriental patterns and the weapon speak of the dignity and status of a man of that time. For centuries Tiflis was one of the most important centres of Armenian cultural and public life.