Portrait of a Muslim scholar reading the Koran. Inscription in ink on verso, in Penson's daughter's hand, reads: Authentic photo by M. Penson, acknowledged by daughter D. Penson." Photograph acquired directly from Penson's daughter.

Jewish Russian photographer Penson hailed from the same vicinity in Russia as Marc Chagall and was a singular talent, receiving his first camera as a teaching prize at the age of 28. He ended up in Uzbekistan after fleeing pogroms with his family in 1915, and went on to document aspects of that area's radical social and industrial transformation. One of his images took the top prize at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris.Please contact the gallery for a quote on shipping and insurance costs. If applicable, residents of New York will be charged sales tax. International clients will be responsible for their VAT.