PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

Many of the most well known celebrity photographs in Egypt around 1950 were taken by either Angelo or Levon Boyadjian, a pair of Armenian-Egyptian brothers who were business partners and owners of Studio Angelo in Cairo. The brothers were renowned for their photographs of Omar Sharif, Samia Gamal, Farid al-Atrache, and other celebrities. Eventually, they split up and each one opened his own studio.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: The photo to the right shows Samia Gamal with Angelo Boyadjian.

Angelo left Egypt in 1960 and lived out the rest of his days in Paris.

Levon Boyadjian, who became known as Van Leo, remained in Cairo. However, as the years passed, he was forgotten and most of the customers who came to his studio only wanted passport photos. Nobody dreamed that he had once hobnobbed with the stars of the Golden Era.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: Van Leo himself, in front of the camera for a change.

Van Leo's legacy was forgotten until he received a visit in the 1990s by a professor from the American University in Cairo. He introduced the professor to a treasure trove of photographs that were worth much more than a thousand words.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: Van Leo's grave resides in the Armenian cemetery in Cairo, Egypt.

Van Leo loved Hollywood's glamourous style of photography, and was hired by many Egyptian celebrities for photo shoots. He was considered the undisputed master of Egyptian portrait photography.

This photo from the 1940's features an unidentified Egyptian dancer.

This photo of a dancer with a shamadan (candelabrum) was dated 1954. It didn't identify who the dancer was.

This photo was labeled "unidentified dancer". I took a closer look because she looked strangely familiar to me. I could swear this is Badia Masabni. The jaw line is unmistakable as are her other facial features.

Van Leo took photographs of many (many, many) famous dancers and performers of that time period, as well as a now famous panoramic view of the Casino Opera. It would have been unusual for such a high profile photographer not to count Badia Masabni among his list of clientele.

Unfortunately, many of his photos of dancers and artists are only labeled "unidentified woman" or "unidentified cabaret performer" etc. This dancer really looks like Badia Masabni to me. But I can´t be 100% sure.

Click on this thumbnail to compare this photo of the reclining dancer with a photo that is known to be Badia Masabni.

This photo by Van Leo showcases Lys and Lyn, the Jamal Twins. They were a famed duet act in Egypt during the 1950's.

These women were actually sisters (not twins, though). Their real names were Helena and Berta Alpert, the daughters of Fishel Alpert, and their family was Jewish.

Their father, Fishel Alpert, moved to Alexandria, Egypt from Eastern Europe in the 1920's. There he met his wife Janine, who was also of Eastern European origin. Helena was born in 1930, and Berta in 1932. During World War II, the family moved to Cairo, where they built their careers as a famed duet act.

• Historic Photos of Samia Gamal. Includes two photos of Samia with Van Leo's brother Angelo.
• Historic Photos of the Golden Era. Photos of Bamba Kashar, Beba Ezz el-Din, Hekhmet Fahmy, Leyla el-Chakraa, and more.

• Historic Photos of Badia Masabni. Variety of photos of Badia from throughout her career.
• Gabriel Lekegian: Capturing Memories of Egypt. Features photos taken between 1870 and 1890.

Priscilla is a dancer of Lebanese heritage who enjoys researching the Golden Era of Egyptian dance. She owns a collection of more than one hundred classic black and white Egyptian films which is continually expanding.

Priscilla has also gathered a large library of dance related articles and clippings from Middle Eastern magazines and newspapers, many of which she has translated from the original Arabic to both English and Spanish.

Priscilla currently resides in Central America where she is a dance instructor.