Timeline

1876 – Abdülhamid II ascends the Ottoman throne.

1880s–1890s – Massive photographic documentation campaign initiated across the empire.

1893–1896 – Selected albums assembled and distributed to foreign governments and institutions.

Late 1890s – One album was formally sent to the Library of Congress as a diplomatic gift.

1909 – Abdülhamid II is deposed following the Young Turk Revolution.

1980s –The albums remain largely ignored and uncatalogued within the Library of Congress collections.

1988 – William Allen publishes “Analysis of Abdul-Hamid’s Albums” in the Journal of Turkish Studies (Vol. 12), marking the intellectual rediscovery of the albums and drawing scholarly attention to their historical significance.

2000s – The Library of Congress begins systematic digitization efforts, eventually making all 51 albums publicly accessible online. Allows global access to the album for interest & scholarly use.