View of the branch office of Ziegler & Co. in Sultanabad, 1880s. — **View of the branch office of Ziegler u0026amp; Co. in Sultanabad, 1880s.** Wikimedia, Museum Rietberg

The carpet dealer from Winterthur

Johann Philipp Ziegler was a merchant from Winterthur. In the late 19th century, his company was the biggest exporter of Oriental carpets from what is now Iran.

Dominik Landwehr

Dominik Landwehr is a cultural and media scientist and lives in Winterthur.

Even in the 19th century it was not unusual to see Swiss merchants seeking to make their fortunes overseas. But in the case of Johann Philipp Ziegler (1833–1880) from Winterthur, the decision to move abroad was motivated by a rather unusual reason: the fact that protectionist measures made it difficult for the textile industry in Switzerland to trade with neighbouring countries. This state of affairs persisted until the end of the 19th century. Ziegler therefore emigrated to Manchester, one of the centres of the British textile industry in the 19th century, where it was much easier to do business. This step soon turned out to be a real stroke of luck, opening up doors that the Swiss merchant could only have dreamed of.

**Photo of Johann Philipp Ziegler, taken in 1879.** Wikimedia

The first lucky break came in 1876, when Ziegler was contracted to liquidate the company Dinner & Hanhart in Tabriz (then Persia). The Swiss merchant was particularly intrigued as he had never previously had dealings with Persia. And his curiosity was piqued even further when he met a fellow countryman there – a certain Emil Alpiger (1841–1905). Alpiger had many years of experience in Tabriz and so it was obvious that Ziegler would decide to employ him right away.

As a textile expert, Ziegler immediately recognised the potential of trade with Persia. Since the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851, interest in and demand for Oriental rugs had surged. And the man from Winterthur quickly realised that this demand could not be covered through trade alone. So he began to produce his own, choosing the town of Sultanabad (now known as Arak), which was only founded in 1808, as the centre of his business activities. Ziegler relied on the many small-scale producers not only in the town itself, but also in the outlying villages. They all started creating rugs for him, coordinated by Emil Alpiger. The business saw impressive growth: in the mid-1870s, Ziegler started with 40 weaving looms, and by 1894 his production in Sultanabad comprised a total of 1,200 looms, with an additional 1,500 in the surrounding villages, all manufacturing for Ziegler.

**Female carpet weavers in Sultanabad. The weaving looms were usually located in private homes. Carpet weaving was manual work performed by women. The rugs were woven in looms. Photo taken in the 1880s.** Museum Rietberg

Payment in opium

Payment was not made in money but in kind: the cotton fabrics from the Swiss textile industry were popular in Persia and were therefore a welcome means of exchange. Instead of money Ziegler also received opium, which could then be sold profitably in other Asian countries. While this may seem strange to us today, opium was a marketable commodity at the time. But trading was not always easy as products had to be transported across the poorly-connected heartlands of what was then Persia, and not all shipments arrived safely. The merchants therefore had to bear a considerable risk themselves.

**Emil Alpiger (front left) and Theodor Philipp Ziegler, son of the company founder (front right), on a group photo of the Ziegler branch office in Sultanabad, 1890s.** Wikimedia, Museum Rietberg

Little is known about Johann Philipp Ziegler’s private life, except that his son Theodor Philipp took over his position at the company after his death. However, we do know more about Ziegler’s business partner, Emil Alpiger. Besides working for Ziegler, he was a keen collector and took an interest in photographic technology, which was still in its infancy. Alpiger acquired some 400 photographs from Armenian photographer Antoin Sevruguin, who ran a successful photo studio in Tehran. Sevruguin’s stock of images was originally much bigger. He is thought to have owned more than 7,000 negatives on glass plates, but most of them were destroyed during the Persian Constitutional Revolution in 1908. Today, Emil Alpiger’s treasures are preserved at the Museum Rietberg in Zurich and provide an insight into 19th century Persia.

**A rural scene near Sultanabad, taken in the second half of the 19th century.** Museum Rietberg

**View of Emil Alpiger’s apartment building in Sultanabad, taken in the 1890s.** Wikimedia, Museum Rietberg

Although the name Ziegler faded into obscurity in the early 20th century, the dynamic businessman from Winterthur had nevertheless established a line of business that would be successful for many years: Switzerland was still the second-biggest exporter of Persian carpets from Iran after the United Kingdom in the 1960s. But Ziegler didn’t just produce Oriental rugs, he also took account of European tastes and developed his own signature style. That is why people still talk of Ziegler rugs today. “These rugs were less complex and often of a different size and shape to the traditional Persian carpets so that they didn’t look out of place in European homes,” explains Axel Langer, Iran expert at Museum Rietberg.

Example of a small Ziegler rug, as produced in the factories of Sultanabad in the 19th century. — **Example of a small u003cemu003eZiegler rugu003c/emu003e, as produced in the factories of Sultanabad in the 19th century.** Museum Rietberg

More of: Modern Age Economy Photography

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