Bukharan Jews. Bukharan Jews of Samarkand: expedition photographs by S.M. Dudin

A belt around the garment was obligatory for men's attire in Central Asia. The type of belt, the material or decorative trim, and the manner of wearing traditionally indicated social affiliation. Among the Bukharan Jews, before the annexation of Central Asia to Russia, such a symbolic function in the "external" costume that they wore among the Muslim population was performed by a belt in the form of a rope, prescribed to them as one of the "distinctive marks" by Islamic law. At home and in their own quarters, they used belts made of a piece of cloth or a scarf folded diagonally, and leather belts with metal buckles of jewelry work, which among the neighboring Tajiks and Uzbeks were worn only by representatives of power. Samuil Martynovich Dudin made three expeditions to Turkestan and the Bukhara Emirate to collect collections and photograph "types of the multi-tribal population of this region." An artist by education, S.M. Dudin mastered both the photography itself and its practical preparation: he was well versed in photographic equipment. For the trip, the scientist chose two cameras with large-format lenses from Derozha and Zuter, a focal-plane shutter from the English company Thornton-Picard, and he also purchased glass photographic plates from the Ilford Impress company at the expense of the museum. The very list of photographic accessories prepared for the expedition (cameras, a heavy tripod, boxes with packed glass negatives, a camping tent - a laboratory with reagents) testifies to its careful preparation. In addition to technical equipment, Samuil Martynovich prepared for the future shooting: the subject matter was thought out in advance, a list of topics and subjects was compiled. However, having encountered the difficulty of shooting live scenes and costumes in the expedition with the contrast of natural lighting (bright sun – shadow), S.M. Dudin asked the museum for permission to purchase two more Zeiss lenses: a wide-angle lens and a fast-working one “for types of groups and landscapes.”