Women's Clothing in the Ottoman Empire
Enjoy these illustrations of women's fashions from across the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire
At its height, the Ottoman Empire stretched from the shores of modern Morocco to the walls of Vienna, the Caspian Sea, and the Arabian Peninsula. It encompassed many lands, including what is now Egypt, Greece, Turkey, and Armenia. The people it ruled were just as diverse as they are today; they followed different religions and led different lifestyles based on their own cultural backgrounds. Perhaps no visual medium best shows the similarities and differences of people under the Ottoman Empire than clothing, and women’s clothing in particular.
Women’s Clothing Under the Ottomans
This collection of images is from an album of Turkish costumes likely patronized by Sultan Mahmud II, c. 1815, and once owned by Tsar Alexander III of Russia. It depicts not only the women of the Ottoman Court, but also women from around the empire. We meet great ladies, peasants, and skilled musicians alike.
The Ottoman Empire at this time was still a powerful and vastly wealthy state. It had conquered many of the richest cities, kingdoms, and empires of the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern eras. Its capital, Istanbul, was once the heart of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, and the Ottomans controlled much of the former Silk Road that carried luxury goods between Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Ottoman Turks became especially well known for their textile arts and had access to the very best materials available. No wonder, then, that they were able to produce such elaborate and finely detailed outfits.
Of course, not everyone dressed like the people depicted here. These costumes, even those of peasants, were likely reserved for women of some means. Millions more wore much simpler clothing with mainly practicality in mind. As an album patronized by the Sultan himself, these portraits no doubt provide a flattering view of his empire.
The beginning of the 19th century, when these illustrations were made, marked the beginning of the end of the Ottomans. Their initial great triumph, the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, was by then a distant memory. Many of the states they ruled, particularly the non-Islamic ones, were beginning to develop organized nationalist movements. Some pieces broke off independently, such as Greece, while others were carved away by other ascendant kingdoms and empires, primarily through European colonialism. The final break occurred during and after World War II, which saw the Ottomans collapse and the modern nation of Turkey rise in its wake.
The women depicted here are part of a world that no longer exists. We know very little about them and their lives beyond the superficial. But we can still appreciate the beautiful diversity of fashions they wore, as well as their often unseen contributions to a mighty empire and the independence movements born under it.
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