Masters of Print as Cultural Agents: A Study of Three Generations of the Tehrani Family and the Sustenance of Lithography in Mashhad (1877-1925 CE)

Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under (CC BY-NC 4.0) license

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Archeology and History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Neyshabur, Iran

10.22034/ihc.2026.68896.1086

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the central role and function of the Tehrani family in the development, continuity, and eventual decline of lithographic printing in Mashhad during its lifespan, which coincided with the late Qajar period. The study structurally examines this industry and the impact of the aforementioned family as master printers. The primary research question focuses on how they performed their roles and produced lithographic works in two spheres: the printing house of the Astan-e Qods-e Razavi and their private printing houses, as well as the factors that led to the decline of their activities. The research methodology is based on historical-documentary analysis, relying on primary archival sources, surviving lithographed texts, and bibliographic data, executed through a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings indicate that three successive generations of this family (Mohammad-Reza, Sheikh Mohammad, and Mirza Aqa Tehrani) played a decisive role, through direct management and technical expertise, in producing 39 out of approximately 95 identified titles during the period of 1877-1925 CE. By forging links between religious institutions, financial patrons, and the community of elites, they undertook the widespread publication of religious, literary, and educational texts and became the primary agents for the relative sustainability of lithography in Mashhad. However, intermittent support, institutional neglect, a lack of financial backing, a shift towards typographic printing, and ultimately, the loss of specialized expertise after Mirza Aqa Tehrani led to the gradual decline of this industry and the end of this pioneering family's activities...

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Main Subjects

Iranian History of Culture
Volume 3, Issue 1
March 2026
Pages 151-177

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History

  • Receive Date: 29 August 2025
  • Revise Date: 28 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 15 April 2026
  • Publish Date: 21 March 2026

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