How the faces of Iranian women of the 1920s and 1950s changed

Parisa Damandan is an Iranian photographer and art critic. Parisa received a diploma in photography from the University of Tehran and published a photobook "Photo Portraits from Isfahan: How Faces Change". The book illustrates the history of the city of Isfahan at the beginning of the XX century through the faces of people whose portraits the photographer collected for 10 years. 

These photos were difficult to find because the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 meant for all women the forced wearing of the hijab and the ban on any images with uncovered head. As a result, many photo studios were destroyed to the ground, and numerous archives with priceless negatives remained gathering dust in attics.

Each frame is an essay about the development of a photo portrait in Isfahan, about the social characteristics of photography in Iran and about the power of the gaze.