Background
Pascal Sébah opened his Constantinople (Istanbul) photography studio, which he later named
El Chark, in 1857. It became one of the most successful studios in the city. He subsequently
established a studio in Cairo in 1873. When Sébah suffered a brain hemorrage in 1883, his
brother Cosmi, already a photographer with his own business, and Sébah's sixteen year-old
son, Jean, took over the firm. Jean went into partnership with Policarpe Joaillier in 1888,
under the name Sébah and Joaillier, while Cosmi continued to run the old studio. Sébah and
Joaillier acquired the negatives of Abdullah frères in 1899. Later renamed Photo Sébah, the
firm remained in business until 1952.