89. Today in 1920s Turkey: 31 May 1923 (Form Letters for Lovers)

(Cartoon by Ratip Tahir, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 31 May 1923, no. 51, page 4.)

Comments:
This cartoon features a young, slender flapper girl struggling with the age old question of selecting the recipient for the love letter she’s already written. The content of the love letter is obscured by the fact that we only know that this person is referred to as “My Dear Soul.” Rather than signifying love for the beloved, perhaps it points to the young lady’s infatuation with herself as experienced through the affection she receives from her lovers. It also negates the sincerity of whatever words were couched between the two sets of “My Dear Souls.” How genuine could the sentiments conveyed in the letter be if they can be applied to more than one person? This modern young lady has essentially created for herself what today is called a “form letter.” Anyone who has ever been rejected from a job application knows about these… The letters that attempt to make you feel like an individual but that you know are mass produced and not written specifically with you in mind…

Yet I digress. I especially wanted to share this cartoon because I found it to be very pleasing to the eye. Perhaps you might agree. Here’s why: Most striking is the strong graphic line and the composition’s overall balance. The interweaving of bold curves with strict right angles strikes an equilibrium between soft and hard lines that I find to be extremely satisfying. Moreover, the form of the woman’s body is sleek and elegant. Her face and the tilt of her neck are reminiscent of ancient Greco-Roman sculpture. Lastly, the distribution of color blocks (e.g. skirt, hair, table-top, chair, foreground, wall) and patterns (e.g. waste basket, chair cushion, baseboard) creates an aesthetic rhythm that is satisfying to the mind and eye.

English
Above: Love Letters of Today
Below: I began with “My Dear Soul” and finished with “My Dear Soul.” I wonder which one I should send this letter to, that one or the other?!..

Türkçe
Üstte: Şimdiki aşk mektupları
Altta: Sevgili ruhum diye başladım, sevgili ruhum diye bitirdim. Acaba bu mektubu hangisine göndersem, ona mı, ötekisine mi?!..

(Entire page, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 31 May 1923, no. 51, page 4.)