Nicosia

Two pieces of embroidered fabric for slippers, part of the dowry of Antaram Chichegian (Ανταρος Τατσιγιάν), Mara. Antaram Tavitian Chichegian intended to make a pair of slippers for her fiancé Canabed Chichegian. The embroidery on the black fabric, which would form the upper part of the slippers, consists of colourful -red and white- flowers with green leaves. The young girl brought the two pieces of fabric with her from the village of Germir in Kayseri to Marash, and from Mersin to Mara, where she was married. Due to the massacres, the slippers were never completed. During the massacres, both the girl and her fiancé died of typhus, but the slippers came to Cyprus with Mrs. Antaram's mother, Mrs. Maritsa. They were later inherited by Mrs. Antaram's son, Hasop Chichegian, and are now in the possession of Mrs. Sirvart.

A small piece of Zabelle Melikian's wedding veil. The tulle features embroidered swans in their natural habitat.

Artin Melikian is depicted in the painting wearing a dark blue, western-style suit with a matching bow tie. He is also wearing a white shirt, with his hair and facial hair styled in a western fashion.

Painting of Elize Boursayeressian. She is depicted wearing a western style outfit consisting of a short red coloured blouse with puffy sleeves that has been decorated at the waist with a pocket watch and a belt. It has also been decorated at the décolleté with small pink flowers. Furthermore, she is wearing a floor-length skirt and has further accessorized with a fan made of ostrich feathers, two rings, several bracelets, a large golden necklace and diamond earrings. Her hair is also styled in a western way.

White gold family ring with a sapphire stone surrounded  by diamonds. Gift to Sonia from her mother-in-law Elizabeth Touloumdjian. Siranush (Sonia) was born in 1900 she was the daughter of Tensuf.

Émile Deschamps, who spent 15 months in Cyprus and visited many places all over the island, had the opportunity to see many Turkish Cypriots of both sexes. He noticed that Turkish women used to cover their face with the tip of their dress… Returning to Larnaca, he saw in the road a small coach drawn by a horse; it was guided by two Turkish women, one of them covered with a ferace.

In Nicosia he saw a group Turkish women walking slowly through the bazaars; a small, absolutely special world. They wore the ferace, holding with their left hand, and trying to cover their face; they looked like a cloud, white, yellow, violet, from which one could see only the tip of their small, convenient slippers…    (Lazarides 2005, 26, 33, 58, 92-93).

During the fair of Kataklysmos, Deschamps watched the crowd and noticed that the attire of Greek and Turks was more or less similar, but the Turks appeared more convenient in their clean dresses. H focused his attention on the Turkish festive costume; the local dandyism was recognized from the fez and the baggy trousers (vraka) tied with garters under the knee. In many cases the fez was very tall, placed obliquely on the head and covered with a white scarf with golden fringes, the corner of which hang down on the face. In the eyes of the Europeans, in comparison with their fashion, the fez appeared as the most ungraceful part of the Turkish attire. On top of the ear, under the fez, they used to attach a flower or rather a small bunch of flowers, to decorate their face. On top of the chemise, with its long full sleeves, they wore a waistcoat, the front part of which was very often made of cloth of a different colour from that of the back, e.g. bright red on the part which covered the chest and light green (similar to the green apples) with floral motives on the back. A broad polychrome sash with flower patterns was wrapped around the waist, and extended down to the middle of the leg. This costume was completed with pink, blue or yellow stockings and flat shoes, typical for the urban population, while the villagers used to wear heavy top boots. Lazarides 2005, 92-93).

Travelogues concerning Cyprus include valuable information about many aspects of life in the island, among other about the appearance of its inhabitants. Clothing is the first item one observes when coming into contact with the people in a foreign country, and is pivotal in creating a first impression of the local population. Travellers refer also to the raw materials and the textiles used for making clothes.

Émile Deschamps was born in Marseilles in 1857. He arrived at Larnaca on November 14, 1892, and, after touring around the island for about fifteen months, he left on March 4, 1894. His impressions are vividly described in the illustrated book Au pays d’ Aphrodite. Chypre. Carnet d’un voyageur (258 pages). His references to the appearance of the people of Cyprus are sporadic and occasional:

Walking along the sea-front in Larnaca, he noticed that the entrance of the Messageries Maritimes Company office was crowded with people wearing either a fez or a hat, thus distinguishing the Europeans from the local men. Walking towards the centre of the town, Deschamps had the opportunity to watch more details of the attire of both sexes. The inhabitants wore the red fez around the base of which they used to wrap a dark blue, red or black headscarf. Their dress consisted of a colourful waistcoat, under which a white chemise was visible, and baggy trousers (vraka), usually blue, with a longer middle part, and shorter side parts reaching to the knees. Their shoes were either leather slippers (skarpes) or heavy boots. He got the impression that the attire of Greeks and Turks presented small differences… Deschamps had created in his mind an ideal, goddess-like picture of the females of the island, and was disappointed to see that most of the women he met in the streets were wearing dark clothes, a simple fitted waistcoat over a skirt. Their head was covered with a scarf, from the edges of which were hanging gold or silver coins. The scarf was tied at the back over loose hair or plaits…

Finally, Deschamps had the opportunity to meet also people of the upper class, merchants wearing European costumes, and ladies or young girls wearing European but old-fashioned dresses…  He paid special attention to the women from Agia Napa and the area around the Paralimni lake. In contrast to the usual type of Cypriot women, those were handsome, strong and full of energy. Their attire consisted of a chemise and a kind of skirt that accentuated their silhouette; this was considered indecent by the archbishop in Nicosia, who tried to modify it, in vain. Even in this respect the women in this area differed from those of other regions… In Nicosia, one could see through the open doors of the houses women and young girls weaving in big looms. In the bazaars of the capital he noticed a craftsman who ironed fezes, then a dyer of textiles in a shop painted from top to bottom in blue colour… In another part of the bazaar, women were selling cotton and silk scarves, all handmade… On the Easter Sunday, Deschamps was impressed by the crowd of people in the courtyard of the metropolitan church in Larnaca. He noticed the most prominent dress item, the red fez and the colourful scarves which covered heads with brown hair.

 Deschamps described in detail the fair of Kataklysmos in Larnaca. His comment on the appearance of the people in general, was that blue, the colour of the clear sky of the East, was the prevalent colour in the costumes of the crowd. Village women were wearing their national costume: their head was covered with one or more kerchiefs, blue or white, with a green decorative band, gold or silver gilt, tied under the chin and covering the head on the back. The jacket was made of velvet or cotton and in many cases it was richly adorned with golden ornaments; its square opening on the chest, exposed the fine chemise, made of thin cloth like tulle. The dress, usually red, black or grey, monochrome or with floral patterns, was a skirt extending from a thick waist, downwards. Their neck was decorated with necklaces of golden coins, and their arms with glass bracelets imported from Syria.      

In Keryneia, Deschamps had the opportunity to observe a street shoe-seller, who walked with his merchandise, different types of shoes, hanging from a long stich, which he held in horizontal position. Other shoes were hanging from his shoulder. He was poorly dressed: white chemise, baggy trousers, waistband and fez.

In the monastery of the Virgin ton Katharon, near the village of Larnaca tis Lapithou, Deschamps had the opportunity to attend a baptism and watch the appearance of the two old priests. Both wore the typical black robes over blue baggy trousers, similar to those of the Turks, and big top boots.

In the monastery of Kykkos he noticed the dress of the young men who were prepared to become monks: wide trousers and a black coat; they had long hair and a black cap on top of their head. In the village of Koma tou Yialou, in Karpasia, Deschamps met women who were wearing the douplettin, a festive cape, white, wide and densely pleated. He noted that it was worn only in the Karpasia region (Λαζαρίδης 2005, 24, 25-26, 53, 57, 60, 77, 91-92, 109, 115, 141, 176).    

Travelogues concerning Cyprus include valuable information about many aspects of life in the island, among other about the appearance of its inhabitants. Clothing is the first item one observes when coming into contact with the people in a foreign country, and is pivotal in creating a first impression of the local population. Travellers refer also to the raw materials and the textiles used for making clothes.

The architect and draughtsman Edmond Duthoit arrived to Cyprus from Beirut on 28th of February 1862, in the company of Melchior de Vogué and Henry William Waddington. They were the three members of the Phoenician mission organized by the French Government in order to collect information and antiquities. Duthoit returned to Cyprus for a second time in 1865. Here he grasped the opportunity to become the most prolific French ethnographic artist of the island. Among many other aspects of traditional life, he drew Cypriots of both sexes and nations, and in some cases described their costumes. In his pencil drawing of a standing Turk, the man wears a long overcoat with wide sleeves and a turban, a long piece of narrow cloth wrapped around his head. Duthoit was amazed by the Turkish ceremony of receiving guests and described such a scene in detail, commenting also on the appearance of the participants: “On arrival at the Pasha we were made to sit or lie on the divan and they brought the tsibouk, long pipes 1.5 to 2.00 meters long. Here the pipe, its dimension, body of amber varying in thickness, have their significance and one kind of pipe is given to one type of person and not to another. One started with compliments and banalities… then a tray arrived covered with purple muslin embroidered with gilded stars and brought in by four officers. The coffee was followed at an interval by another tray and another cover and by another four officers. This tray contained quite large bowls full of lemonade or orangeade, it was the sorbet. Imagine four men dressed in various colours half in European manner, half in the Turkish, wearing pantaloons and without socks, bringing in all seriousness a tray holding what? Four cups of coffee as big as egg cups.” (Severis 1999, 87-89, 93, 97, ill. 62).]

Travelogues concerning Cyprus include valuable information about many aspects of life in the island, among other about the appearance of its inhabitants. Clothing is the first item one observes when coming into contact with the people in a foreign country, and is pivotal in creating a first impression of the local population. Travellers refer also to the raw materials and the textiles used for making clothes.

Edmond Duthoit, a French architect and draughtsman, was one of the three members of the Phoenician mission organized by the French Government in 1862, with a view to collect information and antiquities, in particular inscriptions. Duthoit visited Cyprus twice, first in 1862, when he was 24 years old, and returned for the second time in 1865. During his visit to Cyprus he made a number of sketches, from which, in combination with his letters, a most complete picture of the island in the decade of 1860-70 may be developed. The wealth of information encompasses also social aspects of Cyprus, descriptions of customs, food habits, dress etc. A number of his linear quick and sketchy drawings are dedicated to the people of the island, and present a selection of Greek and Turkish attires. In addition to the visual representations, Duthoit also described or made comments on dress:

“The women resemble in their dress the pretty girls of Arles wearing with a lot of coquetry a small corsage very low cut that crosses under the breast, a muslin or dantelles cover the chest, the neck remaining bare. A veil covers the head and those who do not have magnificent plaits hanging down their backs, use artificial or natural flowers to cover them.” It was just before Easter when Duthoit reached Kykko monastery and gives a vivid description of scenes of feast: “The courtyard was full of animals: horses donkeys and mules that had brought a great number of pilgrims; the crowd was so big that one part was obliged to sleep in the open air… I saw Kykko as it should be seen with a crowd of people, women and children with the most brilliantly coloured costumes. All the pilgrims were celebrating: the women all wore jackets of velvet with gold embroideries and on their neck hung, made up in a necklace, all the coins of their fortune. I saw the Caramaniote women who wear their hair in numerous plaits almost like strings and attach a piece of gold in every one of the plaits. The effect of this hairstyle is striking and it has nothing unpleasant…” (Severis 1999, 87-91, 95).

Travelogues concerning Cyprus include valuable information about many aspects of life in the island, among other about the appearance of its inhabitants. Clothing is the first item one observes when coming into contact with the people in a foreign country, and is pivotal in creating a first impression of the local population. Travellers refer also to the raw materials and the textiles used for making clothes.

William Turner, Esquire, left Constantinople on February 20, 1815, in a small Turkish vessel, and sighted Cyprus on March 22, travelled in Palestine, visited M. Sinai, and returned to Larnaca on October 8, sailing again on November 16 for Rhodes. In his Journal of a Tour in the Levant, which was published by John Murray in 3 volumes (London, 1820), this intelligent traveller offers valuable information about Cyprus and its people, including appearance, lifestyle and social behavior. As principal commerce items he presents cotton, wool, white and yellow silk, the local raw materials which were used for clothing. Most revealing are his remarks about dress, especially that of women, offering an ideal description of a variety of dress items, including jewellery:  “Having somewhere read (I believe in the Quarterly Review of Mr Clarke’s Greece) that the dress of the Greek women in Cyprus differs from all the others, and approaches more to the ancient model, I observed this point with particular attention, and am able to state with confidence that in all my rambles about the island, I have seen only two kinds of dresses that differed from the usual fashion of the Greeks, and of these but very few. One of these was a short yellow vest tight round the upper part of the body, with a red petticoat that came over it at the waist, round which it was tightened by a drawing tape; a handkerchief was carelessly tied round the head. This was worn by a villager whom I saw at Santa Croce, and by another near Paphos. The other, worn by a pretty young girl of Nicosia, was all of white cotton, a loose vest, with pantaloons fastened by a drawing tape round the waist, and descending to the feet below the knot with which it was tied at the ancle à la Turque. The general dress, like that of all Greek women, consisted of a white cap, sometimes with a red border or embroidered, according to the circumstances of the wearer, round which the hair flowed loose before on each temple, and terminated behind in one, two, six or even eight tails, generally lengthened by skeins of silk: strings of sequins, rubiehs or paras hung round the head and neck: a gown tightened at the waist, and bound by a simple handkerchief, or by a leathern girdle fastened by silver clasps which generally bore the shape of a circle or of a sloped heart, and an outer robe more or less richly embroidered, flowing to the feet: for this latter a red cloth is mostly preferred, they being here freely permitted to wear that colour as well as yellow shoes, contrary to the custom in Constantinople. They frequently throw a handkerchief loosely about the head to shade them from the sun, and none of them, even Turkish women, hide their face with scrupulous jealousy.” Turner also commented on the male peasants’ everyday dress: “Poverty seldom consults fashion in dress, but if I observed one habit more common among the Greek male peasants than the other, it was one of coarse cotton, all white, consisting of a short vest tight round the body, with loose trousers down to the feet, fastened round the waist by a drawing tape, or, if the wearer could afford it, by a girdle which was generally red. The turban was mostly of coarse white cotton, they being freely allowed to wear this colour on the head.” On his way from “Thali” [Dali/Idalion] to Larnaca, Turner met “several peasants on the road driving large flocks of sheep and goats: their prevailing dress was a white turban, white jacket and white shalwar (trousers): that of the women was the common Greek dress, with a large white vest to shade them from the sun.”  Most exciting, however, is Turner’s description of his “visit to a lying-in Cypriote lady”, in Larnaca: “We found her sitting up in bed, and in good health and spirits, though it is only the second day since her delivery. She was gaily and splendidly dressed, and wore a garland of flowers round her cap (at Constantinople the costume in these cases is a small embroidered white handkerchief on the head): the only sign of her indisposition was the room being darkened.” (Cobham 1908, 424-426, 430, 435, 448-449).