Reading Ottoman Costumes in The Travelogues Of John Covel and Cornelis De Bruyn

Abstract

This article looks at how two European travellers from the 17th century, Dutch Cornelius de Bruyn and British John Covel, depict clothing in the Ottoman Empire. While both individuals record their observations about clothes, their methodologies and viewpoints are very different. Dutch painter De Bruyn concentrates on the aesthetic features of clothes, portraying the beauty and complexity of Ottoman fabrics and needlework. Covel, an English priest, on the other hand, is more concerned with the social and cultural significance of clothes in Ottoman society, highlighting the function clothing plays in defining identity and status. This article gives insight into the range and complexity of clothing in the Ottoman Empire, as well as how they are seen by European travellers, through an examination of their texts and images.