In her series The Brides of Mokhber al-Dowleh, the photographer, Tahmineh Monzavi, records the run-down workshops of the titular district in
Tehran where young working-class men construct bridal gowns, describing them as the “costumes of women’s dreams.” Monzavi
captures the incongruity of the all-male workforce juxtaposed with the ultrafeminine garments they produce. In these two images,
Monzavi focuses on solitary gowns, perhaps emphasizing their symbolism as receptacles for the fantasies of the men who make
them as well as the women who might purchase them. Monzavi has been working as a professional photographer since 2005. In
2012, she was arrested as part of a larger government crackdown on the press and was imprisoned for one month, but upon her
release she continued producing work that captured the realities and hardships of Iranians.
