Behannesey Brothers, Phares and Kaleel

Your Mirror: Portraits from the ICP Collection
Section: Social change
Born in Damascus, Syria (then part of Turkey), Phares A. Behannesey (1879–1955) and his family emigrated to the United States. As a young man, Behannessey traveled around the Midwest, lecturing about Syria and the Middle East. According to an 1896 account, seventeen-year-old Behannessey gave “an interesting lecture on the life and customs of [the Syrian] people . . . assisted by women of the church in Oriental costume.” This card, dating from about 1900, was probably an announcement for just such a performance, and shows Phares and his brother Kaleel in native Syrian costume.