‘Through a Persian Looking-Glass’ photo essay pairs mirrors and portraits from Iran

Faculty member Karen Foster — whose  2014 online photo essay, “The Artful Steppe,” captured images of the people and places along the historic Silk Road — has published a companion piece, titled “Through a Persian Looking-Glass.”

Foster, a lecturer in the Departments of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and the History of Art, took the photos during a May 2015 journey to Iran with Yale Educational Travel.

“Mirrors, real and metaphorical, were everywhere, from the bazaars of today to the palaces and gardens of the past,” writes Foster in the introduction to the photo essay.
“The scarf-framed faces of women were also everywhere … The images and thoughts that follow pair mirrors and portraits, leading, it is hoped, to deeper understanding of this remarkable country.”