Manifestation and analysis of sociocultural functions of Iranian craft arts within the frame of the Qajar era camera

During Iran's Qajar era, the emerging phenomenon of photography offered an ideal medium for displaying the nation's cultural, social, biological, and artistic attributes. Craft Arts, a crucial component of Iran's cultural heritage, underwent diverse transformations and assumed new roles amidst this period's various advancements. Photography, with its inherent capacity to capture and communicate events and ideas, serves as an ideal tool for exploring the status and roles of Craft Arts during the Qajar era. In the current research, an effort is made to study the role and performance of handicrafts as one of the main components of Iranian art and culture in Qajar period photographs. This study aims to analyze Iranian Craft Arts as portrayed in Qajar-era photographs and to examine their Sociocultural Functions. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the study collects data from library and documentary resources. Findings indicate that in Qajar photographic compositions, Craft Arts serve not only visual purposes anchored in a unique Iranian pictorial tradition but also cultural and social functions. These crafts infuse Iranian identity into the imagery and employ photography as a tool for cultural creation, bridging public taste with the emerging field of photography. This linkage enhances global understanding of Iranian culture and art via the dissemination of these photographs to Europe. Furthermore, it boosts interest in Craft Arts among leaders and the general public, thereby elevating the appreciation of handicrafts. These dynamic influences shape global artistic trends and contribute significantly to the portrayal of ideas, identity, and the status of various societal strata in the Qajar era.