Before Instagram grids and family group chats, there were portraits like these. Taken during Norooz in Iran, sometime before the 1970s, this series of family photographs tells a quiet story of closeness, tradition, and joy. One family, many relatives, countless memories—captured in the soft tones of aging film.
The photos feel familiar even if you’ve never seen them before. Gathered around a haft-seen, dressed in freshly ironed clothes, generations stand (or squeeze) together in living rooms and gardens, their smiles caught just as someone counted to three. These weren’t professional shoots. They were rituals. A cousin with a camera. An aunt straightening a collar. A moment to hold onto.
What makes these portraits special is how effortlessly they carry emotion. You can sense the weight of time in each image—children leaning into grandparents, siblings lined up by height, someone always caught mid-laughter. In their quiet symmetry, they speak to a culture where family meant more than blood. It meant showing up, again and again, especially during Norooz.
Looking at these photos now is like time-traveling to a slower world. A world where connection didn’t need captions. Where one photograph could hold the energy of a full house, the scent of sabzi polo, and the buzz of a new year beginning.
In their stillness, these images remind us of something timeless: the beauty of being together. No filters. No edits. Just presence.