Osman Hamdi Bey was one of the first painters and curators of the Ottoman Empire. He was also the first archeologist who established the Istanbul Archeological Museum as well as the first art school in Istanbul. Born into a prominent Ottoman family in 1842, he had the chance of studying in Europe.
Osman Hamdi Bey
He was one of the first Ottoman painter to depict scenes from daily life in Istanbul and the empire in his paintings.
His wife Maria who was a non-Muslim
His delightful summer home where he led a European life style in Eskihisar close to İstanbul
Osman Hamdi Bey with his daughters
Although he led a very European life style, he was keen on depicting the traditional aspects of daily life in İstanbul. We can learn about the daily lives of the 19th century İstanbul partially due to his paintings!
Note that we owe the Tomb of Alexander in the Archeological Museum to Osman Hamdi Bey who led the excavations in the antique city of Sidon (west of Beirut which was then a part of the Ottoman Empire).
The Tomb of Alexander in the Archeological Museum which in fact belongs to the King of Sidon named Abdalonymos from 4 BC. The reason the tomb is attributed to Alexander is due to the depictions of him and his army on the tomb
Let’s allow Osman Hamdi Bey to take us to an İstanbul that is vanished for ever which feels more like an oriental fantasy than history to us! This is an İstanbul where life was dominated by religion, men and women led segregated lives and women lived behind the veil.
