Issue 36 2023 - Journal - Page 62
were said to be content with the work done at Portsmouth
shipyard. A shortwhile after the arrival to Spithead, Ambassador H. D. Jourdain paid a farewell visit to the frigate
and stayed there until 5 pm. Later the frigate stopped at
Plymouth to stock on coal. The piece concludes by stating
that the passengers of Feyzâ-i Bahrî were very pleased with
the excellent accommodation of the Southampton harbor, the receptions they were invited to and the general
attention they received.
handiwork. British producers who were the piooners in
industrialization started mass producing similar ones.
These Ottoman products that were copied were mostly
domestic textiles. The bathroom towel, embroidered by
Ayse Hanım from Bebek Istanbul is now located in Victoria and Albert Museum, among the collection of items
that received prizes in 1851 Great London Exhibition.
Belfast Mercury, a newspaper from Northern Ireland, on
Saturday, 17 May 1851, published a piece titled as “Visit
to the Turkish Ships on Spithead”. It reports the arrival
of Cemaleddin Pasa and Mustafa Pasa from London to
Portsmouth. Sir G. Webster Bart welcomed them at the
station. According to the newspaper after this secret visit
the two pashas boarded on another Ottoman frigate
Mirat Zafir. After their inspection, they also visited the
military (ship) prison. The whole inspection lasted four
hours. The newspaper states that Cemaleddin Pasa
thanked Commander Sir G. Webster and praised Britain
for the Ottoman crew’s progress in artillery and for the
hospitality that they received by the British officers and
crew during their stay. The rest of the piece informs us
that Cemaleddin Pasa, as a sign of this contentment, promoted the soldiers on these ships (four on the frigate and
two on the brig) to lieutenant and that the sergeants and
some other crew also received appreciation. The article
also informs us that Feyzâ-i Bahrî was under repair in
Woolwich, south on the Thames River and that it is going
to be ready to carry the distinguished guests to Istanbul
in two weeks.
Having been invited to the Great Exhibition, the
Ottomans grasped the objectives, opportunities and potential of the exhibition and prepared with great care to
represent their country. The archival documents tell us
that the final collection to be displayed was very elaborately categorized into special collections. The exhibition
strategy of the Ottoman Empire was not limited to materials only, the Ottoman delegation was also specially selected for the representation of the country. The
delegation included the brother-in-law of Abdülmecid,
the ambassador, naval commanders, bureaucrats, lawyers,
bankers and entrepreneurs, professors from military and
medical schools, architects and engineers, translators,
tradesmen from various guilds and prominent people. As
such they represent different segments of Ottoman society. This demonstrates that Ottomans did not perceive
the exhibition as a purely economic activity; they composed this delegation because they perceived the exhibition as a space of cultural encounter. This British
exhibition that caused a direct interaction between European and non-European cultures and local arts could
be evaluated by the Ottomans through multiple lenses
with varying points of view.
In 7th June 1851, Hampshire Advertiser, on a piece titled as
‘‘The Departure of Feiza Baari’’ reports that having had
its machinery repaired in Woolwich, the frigate left and
arrived at Spithead around 10 am. The Ottoman pashas
Above, Illustrated London News feyza-i bahri
i
i
Conservation & Heritage Journal
60
