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Description
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The collection includes the portrait of the Ottoman sultan Mahmud II (r. 1803-1839) in old and new costume, his son, members of his court (some depicted in old and new dress), military figures and household staff, together with other Turkish figures, and the dress of people from Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Bosnia, and Albania, together with trades and professions, and a series of five illustrations of punishments. Mahmud II pursued a Westernising programme of military, fiscal and economic reforms, as well as dress. In 1829 he issued a decree forbidding the wearing of the old-fashioned costumes, except by clerics. The head-dress became the fez and men wore the black frock-coat known as the Stambouline. Mahmud felt that this new costume led to equality for all his citizens, apparently stating 'I distinguish between my subjects Muslims in the mosque, Christians in the church, Jews in the synagogue, but there is no difference among them in any other way' (J. Freely, Istanbul: The Imperial City 1998)., Title and date devised by library staff. Each drawing measures 18 x 13 cm, each window mounted with pale brown borders, paper guards. Watercolors are numbered in pencil and captioned in ink or pencil in a nineteenth-century hand; a few have also pencil notes on the reverse. Drawings are housed in later brown half morocco with marbled boards, gilt edges and spine gilt in compartments gilt., Main Heritage Compact General, HC.GM.2018.0026, 2-D Graphic, Item-ID: i25698357, BIB-ID: 2701897 |
