Student Posters from the Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar

  • The Edges of Modernity: Osman Hamdi Bey, At the Mosque Door

    Heather Hughes (History of Art; Halpern Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    The Era of Reform

    During the Tanzimat era (1839-1876) Ottoman statesmen initiated a variety of reforms intended to modernize the Empire. Reformers instituted a new dress code for men, constructed educational facilities, created a centralized bureaucracy, increased military strength and organization, and expanded the rights of women. By 1893, these changes had made a marked impact on Ottoman society. That year, the Columbian Exposition in Chicago provided an opportunity to publicize the reforms and dispel some of the enduring myths about Ottoman society, specifically those regarding the status of women. Osman Hamdi Bey’s contribution to the Columbian Exposition, the painting At the Mosque Door (1891), represents an effort to subvert the stereotype of the Ottoman woman as secluded, sexualized, and oppressed.

    Preserving Traditional Values

    Despite its progressive manner of portraying women, the painting reveals a major concern among Ottoman leaders, including Hamdi Bey, at the end of the 19th century: the careful balance between the incorporation of Western influences and the desire to retain traditional values. The lack of social interaction between the men and women in the painting creates the demarcation of distinctly gendered public spaces within the composition. Another spatial separation exists between the exterior of the mosque and the unseen interior, guarded by one of four images of Hamdi Bey. The setting of the painting outside a mosque, with its characteristic painted tiles and attending calligrapher, suggests a desire to maintain cultural authenticity in the face of modernization. Furthermore, the men wear outmoded costumes rather than the suit and fez required by the Tanzimat. By juxtaposing these men with the fashionably-attired women, Hamdi Bey’s painting is a symbolic representation of Ottoman civilization at the crossroads of tradition and modernity.

    Unveiling the Ottoman Woman

    Painted in the style of Hamdi Bey’s Orientalist teacher Jean-Léon Gérôme, At the Mosque Door presents the modern Ottoman woman: liberated from the harem and socializing in public. This theme echoes paintings by Monet that portray upper-class women at leisure, wearing fashionable clothing in picturesque settings outside the home. Despite wearing the recently invented Ottoman feracé cloak, Hamdi Bey’s women are aware of current Parisian fashion trends, as indicated by their bright, luminous fabrics and their accompanying parasols. In a departure from his other versions of this subject, Hamdi Bey differentiates among the women by religion and class, as only some of the adult women presented here are wearing veils over their faces. Wearing the veil was customary practice for middle- and upper-class Muslim women sharing public spaces with men. Hamdi Bey draws attention to the unveiled women by prominently featuring one of them at the center of the composition, directly engaging the viewer. On the occasion of the Columbian Exposition, Hamdi Bey adjusted his normal portrayal of this subject to suit the Western audience.

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  • To Go Before: Placing the Travelogues and Sketches of Joseph Meyer in their 19th-Century Context

    Abbey Stockstill (History and Middle East Studies; Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    The 1894 season that Joseph Meyer spent making archaeological sketches at Nippur was the most productive and best-documented season out of the Penn Museum’s first expedition there. His drawings of the sites there drew praise f rom the Babylon Expedition Fund, injecting much needed positive reinforcement into the field team, most especially for the man who had brought him there: John Henry Haynes. For Haynes, it was a much needed break from the stress of running a dig at a treacherous site; for Meyer, it was the tail-end of a world tour sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to practice his architectural drawing. His are the only architectural drawings that record the architecture of Nippur, and for him this was the last stop as he succumbed to fatal illness in Baghdad just before Christmas of 1895.

    Traveling throughout Europe and India, Meyer was privy to the circles of 19t h century Western ambassadors and residents that welcomed such scholars into their homes abroad. Early drawings by British travelers like James Silk Buckingham and Claudius James Rich of the volatile Arabian Peninsula in the 1810s and 1820s were used more as surveys of the unfamiliar territory than as pure archaeological or architectural studies. Relatively unexamined since the early 19th century, Baghdad had grown extensively under the late Ottomans as a gateway to the India trade, and Meyer’s journals and sketches give the reader a detailed picture of a vibrant and healthy city. More significantly they depict key monuments of architecture, such as the Sasanian palace of Ctesiphon in their proper setting and context.

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  • Diplomacy and Bureaucracy: How an American Archaeological Expedition Found Its Way to Nippur

    Christine Wells (Historic Preservation; Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    The Babylon Exploration Fund partnered with the University of Pennsylvania to dispatch four seasons of expeditions to the sacred city of Nippur (1888-1900). Through trial and error, members of the expedition eventually learned how to navigate the Ottoman Empire’s bureaucracy to obtain excavation permits.

    Because of John P. Peters’ initial bunglings in obtaining the first permit, Hermann Hilprecht took it upon himself to develop a stronger working relationship with Osman Hamdi Bey to better facilitate the next three expeditions. Hermann Hilprecht later claimed that Sultan Abduhamid II gifted the team’s finds to him and that he in turn gifted them to the University of Pennsylvania.

    Consul to Baghdad

    John Henry Haynes was appointed the first U.S. Consul to Baghdad in August of 1888. The position had been created in part to facilitate the efforts of the excavation at Nippur. Prominent Philadelphians, including the collector of The Port and founder of the Philadelphian Times, had lobbied congress. Despite  Provost Pepper’s requests on his behalf, consul Haynes was given no salary. He frequently requested leave from his post to either escape cholera breakouts or to conduct excavations at Nippur.

    Obtaining Permissions

    Both the Babylon Exploration Fund and the University of Pennsylvania applied to the Ottoman Government for excavation permits and special permission to export their finds. Letters of support from President Cleveland and several University presidents helped facilitate the State Department’s support in helping John P. Peters eventually navigate discussions with the grand vizier, Kiamil Pasha, and Osman Hamdi Bey, the Director of the Imperial Museum, to receive the expeditions’ first firman to excavate at Nippur and “export antiquities”.

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  • A Sum of Its Parts: Architecture in the Paintings of Osman Hamdi Bey

    Emily Neumeier (History of Art; Halpern Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    At the Mosque Door

    The recent discovery of a painting by Osman Hamdi Bey at the Penn Museum allows us to consider the use of architecture in his work. In At the Mosque Door (far left) Hamdi Bey has placed the figures in front of a mosque entrance. Distinctive architectural elements such as the stilted arch and tiled spandrel identify this building as the Muradiyye, a fifteenthcentury royal funerary complex in Bursa. Hamdi Bey often created his backgrounds working directly from photographs. Yet even a cursory comparison of At the Mosque Door with the actual Muradiyye demonstrates that this is not the case here. Hamdi Bey has elevated the entrance by a set of stairs as well as added A New Interest in Early Ottoman Architecture In his paintings Osman Hamdi Bey favored monuments from fifteenth-century Bursa, particularly the Yeşil Camii (c.1421) and the Muradiyye (c.1426). Hamdi Bey’s interest in early Ottoman architecture reflected a larger phenomenon that began with the reconstruction of several early monuments in Bursa after a devastating earthquake. In 1863 the governor of Bursa hired Léon Parvillée, a student of Viollet-le-Duc, to restore the fifteenth-century buildings. Parallel to Viollet-le-Duc’s research in Gothic architecture, Parvillée became interested in discovering the fundamental geometric principles behind this early Ottoman architecture. In 1867 Parvillée utilized these rules in practice as the head designer of the Ottoman pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. He later elaborated his ideas in an album entitled Architecture et Décoration Turques au XVe Siècle, published in 1874. Osman Hamdi Bey’s new fascination with Bursa architecture most likely stems from his participation at the 1873 Vienna Exposition and the volume of architecture a stone balustrade and bands of inscription flanking the portal and the balcony. He has also stretched the façade vertically to give it a more muscular, energetic presence than is found at the actual site. Some may interpret Hamdi Bey’s mixing of architectural elements as Orientalist eclecticism à la Gérôme, but this enhancement and exaggeration of the Muradiyye might also be an effort to satisfy both the physical requirements of a tall canvas as well as the ideological goal of presenting a refined early Ottoman architecture. Whether Orientalist or not, the presence of the architecture in the painting makes a lively backdrop for the figures.

    A New Interest in Early Ottoman Architecture

    In his paintings Osman Hamdi Bey favored monuments from fifteenth-century Bursa, particularly the Yeşil Camii (c.1421) and the Muradiyye (c.1426). Hamdi Bey’s interest in early Ottoman architecture reflected a larger phenomenon that began with the reconstruction of several early monuments in Bursa after a devastating earthquake. In 1863 the governor of Bursa hired Léon Parvillée, a student of Viollet-le-Duc, to restore the fifteenth-century buildings. Parallel to Viollet-le-Duc’s research in Gothic architecture, Parvillée became interested in discovering the fundamental geometric principles behind this early Ottoman architecture. In 1867 Parvillée utilized these rules in practice as the head designer of the Ottoman pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. He later elaborated his ideas in an album entitled Architecture et Décoration Turques au XVe Siècle, published in 1874. Osman Hamdi Bey’s new fascination with Bursa architecture most likely stems from his participation at the 1873 Vienna Exposition and the volume of architecture for it (Usul-i Mimar-ı Osmani). One of the stated goals of this album was to inspire a new national art derived from Ottoman architecture. An example of this “First National Style” is the Büyükada ferry station, whose tiled spandrels and stilted arches closely resemble the Muradiyye façade.

    Painting as Diplomacy

    Recent archival research has indicated that At the Mosque Door was originally intended to be exhibited at the 1894 World’s Columbian Exposition. In this context, Osman Hamdi Bey’s painting is much more than an Orientalist genre scene. The use of an enhanced early Ottoman architecture, argued by his contemporaries to be based on pure geometrical principles, could be part of a larger mission to present the Ottoman Empire in a dramatically modern way.

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  • On The Cusp of Modernity: The Archaeological Travels in the Ottoman Lands through the Lens of John Henry Haynes

    Elvan Cobb (Historic Preservation; Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    Background

    John Henry Haynes' travels through the Ottoman Empire in 1884-1885 provide insight into the pre-modern Ottoman Empire during an era of great archaeological discoveries. His first trip was with John S. Sterrett, who was on a journey to record epigraphic inscriptions around Anatolia. During the second trip, Haynes was part of the Wolfe Expedition, which aimed to discover archaeological sites in Mesopotamia. His early photographs and travel journals provide information both on the logistics of travel for western archaeologists and on their perceptions of the east.

    Archaeological Photography

    During these travels, Haynes’ main objective was to photograph ancient sites. His mission was often foiled, however, by the conflict between the devices of modernity and the logistics of an era that did not include modern amenities. For example, Haynes was highly dependent on pack animals to carry fragile photographic plates:

    “The account given was that the horse, which was perhaps the steadiest, stumbled, his pack shifted, his saddle turned, he became frightened and began kicking. His load happened to be the two boxes containing plates. They were thrown, one rolling one way and the other going the other way and certainly the boxes showed hard usage." June 24, 1884. We also see the emergence of modern techniques, such as photogrammetry, in Haynes' journals.

    Travel Logistics

    Haynes undertook both of his trips mainly using pack animals and horses because other means of transportation had not yet reached the interior of the Ottoman Lands. As Haynes recorded in his journals, this method of travel was exhausting. Another challenging aspect of travel was finding a place to stay on a daily basis. When possible, the travelers lodged with other Christians. If this was not feasible, they were forced to contend with whatever they found. On occasion this struggle was too much for their nerves. In his journal, Haynes compares their accommodation problem to the Ottoman Empire itself:

    “We have just arrived from Arabla, an inhospitable little Turkish village...We are at a Khan with a dark court, broad corridors and altogether rather uninviting at first appearance, but greatly improves on further acquaintance quite in contrast to so many things pertaining to this empire that glitters in the distance: but disappoints and disgust upon inspection.” September 12, 1884.

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  • Modalities of Portraiture at Nippur

    Theodore Van Loan (History of Art; Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    Setting the Scene

    From 1889-1900, John Henry Haynes meticulously photographed the excavation of the ancient Mesopotamian site of Nippur. This was a hostile territory, Haynes worked in a barren land, devoid of modern conveniences, and rife with local unrest. His work documents ancient architectural forms and artifacts as they were uncovered by a large native workforce. The expedition team largely left him to his own devices, leaving him as their solitary representative on the site for extended periods of time. Through the lens of his camera, Haynes developed strategies for coping with a situation that can only be described as extreme. Portraiture became his salvation.

    Memento

    Amidst the danger and hostility, Haynes developed relationships deemed worthy of photographic remembrance, as these informal family portraits attest. These are not formal documents destined for a meticulous archive of the expedition. These are images for personal, emotional use.

    Multiple Temporalities

    The mimetic relationship between the human figures and the ancient material effectively fuses their respective existences into one unstable temporality. Formal juxtaposition equates them. Photographed apart, this affinity would be lost. By virtue of the flat photographic surface the local population is endowed with the same status as the artifacts.

    Order Amid Chaos

    Stiff bodies rigidly aligned with complimentary artifacts and architecture, exude an overwhelming discipline of compositional balance. The camera gives Haynes a space to enact disciplinary order within a chaotic and uncertain environment. Behind the lens, he is in full control.

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  • Capturing Ruins From Assos: Evaluating John Henry Haynes' Contribution to Archaeological Photography

    Victoria Fleck (History and Classics; Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    The photographs that John Henry Haynes produced during the excavation of Assos in southwest Anatolia in 1883 represent the beginning of his prolific career in photography: his Assos Album contains over 250 brilliant images of various aspects of the site and excavations.

    Although Haynes’ photographs were meant to serve primarily as archaeological documents, most exude his creative urge to capture the picturesque ‘modernity’ of Assos’ antiquity – to portray in his photos how Assos’ past was still shaping the world around it in the current day.

    In each photographic ‘theme’ – i.e. panoramic landscape, Greek workers, and monuments - Haynes utilizes photographic techniques such as taking the photo from a distance or a side view, or creating sharp disparities between shadows and light. His own creativity, as seen in his positioning of workers within the ruins and his arrangement of objects, dispels the notion of archaeological sites as being totally isolated in their past.

    Landscape

    In photos depicting the landscape of Assos, Haynes locates the acropolis of Assos in a wider geography by including much of the surrounding landscape. The distancing of the focal point of the composition lessens the stiff monumentality that characterizes other contemporary photos of sites and monuments, such as the common frontal views of the Athenian acropolis or the Parthenon.

    Workers

    While Haynes placed Greek workers in his photos to show the scale of the monuments and artifacts, he was acutely aware of the Greeks' rights to their cultural heritage. Through highlighting Greek workers by positioning them casually standing or sitting within the remains, Haynes' photos implied that they were the true "owners" of the artifacts. They often came to dominate the picture.

    Monuments

    These photos represent the most concrete evidence of Haynes’ objective skills in archaeological photography. They also simultaneously reveal his own subjective interpretations of the ruins. Many photos are taken from an angle and include excavation tools. This objective perspective presents the archaeological unearthing of Assos' monumental remains as an essential aspect of the site’s history.

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  • Tracing the Travels of Osman Hamdi Bey's Painting of Nippur

    Jamie Sanecki (History of Art; Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar)

    Archaeologists and Travelers in Ottoman Lands will mark the first exhibition and publication of Osman Hamdi Bey’s painting, The Excavations of the University Museum at Nippur, Mesopotamia. This scene of an excavation site is unlike any other subject in Osman Hamdi’s oeuvre, and owes much to its proposed commissioner, the Penn Assyriologist Hermann V. Hilprecht. His ambitions and the scandal his work provoked directly shaped the life of this painting, from its origins in Osman Hamdi’s studio, to its interim stay in Hilprecht’s house in Germany and eventual exhibition at Penn.

    A Celebratory Gesture

    Osman Hamdi painted the scene of Nippur in 1903, when Philadelphians were praising Hilprecht as the man responsible for the excavation’s success. Clues within the painting suggest that Osman Hamdi created it according to Hilprecht’s recommendations, which ensured that it would highlight Hilprecht’s role in the Nippur expedition. For example, Osman Hamdi depicted Hilprecht standing near a collection of pottery at the right edge of the scene, making him the only identifiable figure in the entire work. He also based the painting on a photograph of the Nippur site taken by John Henry Haynes between 1893 and 1896. The photograph appeared as the frontispiece to Hilprecht’s book, Explorations in Bible Lands, in 1903, and was probably given to Osman Hamdi by Hilprecht during a visit to Constantinople. Correspondence between the two men in 1905 indicates that the Nippur painting originally belonged to the University Museum and that Hilprecht was arranging its exhibition. By displaying the work, he likely hoped that it would publicly commemorate his achievements.

    Hilprecht’s Changing Fortunes

    Hilprecht’s success, however, was short- lived, and when his reputation plummeted, Osman Hamdi’s painting fell into obscurity. As the scholarly community condemned Hilprecht for taking credit for tablets he did not excavate and for falsifying data from the Nippur finds, the Penn administration halted plans to exhibit the painting. In the face of this rejection, Hilprecht took the painting to his home in Jena, Germany, where it remained until it entered the University Museum’s collection in 1948. Thus in an ironic twist, the painting meant to celebrate Hilprecht’s work ultimately memorialized the episode of his undoing.

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