Casa Botter was the first art nouveau building of Pera and it belonged to the royal tailor of the Ottoman Court. Botter was a Dutch man who was not only the tailor to the Ottoman court but also the man who shaped the fashion in İstanbul in the early 1900s with his fashion shows which he ran in this majestic mansion. Historians note that he was the man that brought the tradition of the white wedding gown to the Ottoman court, worn for the first time by Naime Sultan who was the daughter of Abdülhamid II in 1898. Note that Mr. Botter had also designed clothes for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who was the founder of the Turkish Republic.
Mr. Botter
An old photo from Botter’s shop on the first floor frequently visited by the İstanbul elite
An example of a 19th century white wedding gown from the Ottoman İstanbul displayed at Sadberk Hanım Museum
The vest Mr. Botter had designed for Atatürk is currently displayed at Şişli Atatürk Remembrance Museum
An old sketch of Casa Botter
Built in 1901 by Mr. Botter in art nouveau style, Casa Botter had been a home to the Botter family till 1917 when they decided to leave Imperial İstanbul for Paris due to the turbulent times of the declining Empire.
Casa Botter had been in dire conditions for decades as the ghost house of Pera.
Casa Botter before the restoration
Istanbul Municipality restored this majestic building to its former glory and it is now serving as a cultural hub for artists, designers and art lovers in istanbul.
The building is now open to public with its exhibitions on the first floor, library and co-working space on the second floor so if you are in Pera, make sure to visit Casa Botter to have a glimpse of this majestic art nouveau building which was the heart of fashion in Ottoman istanbul!
When you visit Casa Botter, try to pay attention to the exquisite details designed by Mr. Botter himself.
And if you decide to cross to the Anatolian side, to Fenerbahçe, make sure to visit the summer homes of Mr. Botter and his daughter which are the only standing mansions as the mansions of his two other daughters have been erased from history.
These two mansions next to one another are the reminders of the Botter family in Fenerhabçe
Art historians and old residents of the neighbourhood say that the sculptures that have once adorned the gardens of these beautiful mansions have either disappeared or been destroyed.
The sculpture that has once adorned the garden of the Botter Mansion in Fenerbahçe which has ‘vanished’
A nostalgic look at another sculpture adorning the garden of the Botter mansions which has unfortunately been destroyed
Note on the visuals: photos are taken from artdog.com, ayşe övür’s instagram page, sadberkhanimmuzesi.org.tr, delisarayli instagram page and medyascope.tv.
