Armenian Attire in Porcelain: Figurines as Cultural Narratives
The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, located in New York City, serves as the United States’ national museum of design. It operates under the Smithsonian Institution and is housed in the Andrew Carnegie Mansion on Fifth Avenue. Founded in 1897 by Sarah Cooper Hewitt, Eleanor Garnier Hewitt, and Amy Hewitt—granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper—the museum was established to educate the public on design and its influence on daily life.The Cooper Hewitt collection comprises over 210,000 objects spanning 30 centuries of design history. Among these is an 18 cm Armenian figurine produced by the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, dated circa 1925 and
The Untold Story of Martin the Armenian, America’s First Armenian Immigrant
Martin the Armenian holds a significant place in history as the first recorded Armenian to settle in what is now the United States. Arriving in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1618, Martin was part of the early wave of settlers in the New World. His presence is documented in Virginia records, which show that he testified in a court case in 1619 and worked as a tobacconist, a key trade in the tobacco-driven economy of the colony. Martin is also credited with introducing silkworm cultivation to the New World, an early attempt to diversify the colony’s agricultural output and establish a silk
Petros Baronyan or al-Barun al-Mukhtari: The Armenian Visionary Behind the Ottoman Qibla Indicator
Petros Baronyan, also known by his Arabic title al-Barun al-Mukhtari, was an 18th-century Armenian inventor and dragoman (interpreter) who served the Dutch embassy in Istanbul. In 1738, he created a notable Qibla indicator, known as the Qibla-numā-yi āfaqi, to assist Muslims in determining the direction of Mecca for prayer. This instrument featured an engraved map and a list of nearly 400 cities worldwide; each numbered to facilitate easy orientation. His Qibla indicators were innovative for their time, combining practical functionality with artistic design.According to the information Baronyan provides in the inscription on the instrument, in 1146 AH/1733, he presented Grand
Armenian Feminist Voices: The Contributions of Srpouhi Dussap, Hayganush Mark, Marie Beyleryan, and Zaruhi Kalemkaryan
Srpouhi Dussap (1840–1901) stands as a pioneering figure in Armenian literature, not only for her literary contributions but also for her role in championing the cause of women’s rights and education. Born in Constantinople in the Ortakoy district, she was the daughter of a prosperous upper-class Armenian Catholic family. Her upbringing in a family that imitated the Western European lifestyle, especially French culture, initially distanced her from her own Armenian heritage. However, after receiving tutelage from the Armenian poet Mkrtich Beshiktashlian, she developed a profound love for the Armenian language and literature. This shift in her perspective marked the beginning
The Armenian Parkapzuk Bagpipe: Tradition and Sound in a Timeless Instrument
The Armenian Parkapzuk (Պարկապզուկ), a variant of the bagpipe, boasts a rich and ancient history, with its origins tracing back to around 1300 BC in the territory of Western Armenia. This wind instrument, deeply ingrained in Armenian musical heritage, consists of a bag, traditionally crafted from animal skin, which functions as a reservoir for air. The musician fills the bag by blowing air directly into it, and once inflated, the air is directed through two wooden pipes known as chanters. Each chanter is equipped with five or six finger holes, which the musician manipulates similarly to a flute, adjusting the
