57. Today in 1920s Turkey: 4 February 1924 (Suspicious Hearts)
(Cartoon by Ramiz, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 4 February 1924, no. 122, page 2.)
Comments:
The artist of this cartoon, Ramiz, was not only one of the most prolific cartoonists of the 1920s but he was a skilled chameleon when it came to style. For instance, the most recent post, #56: The Ugly Husband which appears on the same page as the current cartoon is also signed by Ramiz (the signature looks like the letter “P” to readers of the Latin script). Yet the two cartoons look nothing alike; they may as well have been drawn by entirely different cartoonists.
(Entire page, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 4 February 1924, no. 122, page 2.)
The diversity of styles employed by Ramiz are further reinforced in other examples from the artist’s oeuvre. I invite you to take a quick peek at the wide range of cartoons bearing the Ramiz signature already covered in Today in 1920s Turkey:
#55: Beware of the Trolley Gang!
#42: Justice: A Gift for the New Year
#41: Stratification and Oppression
#29: Happy Republic Day, Turkey!
#11: War of the Pens: Turkey vs Iran
#5: Planes: A Modern Perspective
#2: Trafik Canavarı or The Beast of Bad Driving
Like its sister cartoon on the same page, this one focuses our attention on the institution of marriage and male-female relations. As was the case with post #56, once again, we are exposed to a bastardized, vernacular version of “ideal/pure love.” Here, we are assured that jealousy and lack of mutual trust afflicts all kinds of couples. This particular couple happens to be older than, say, the flapper generation, and far less attractive. Meaning, even those who seem to fall outside the demographic categories commonly associated with “unfaithful” people (e.g., narcissistic, wealthy, attractive, young, selfish, restless types). The ridiculousness of the man’s midnight accusatory musing is compounded by the fact that he is having these thoughts while his wife is clearly fast asleep in bed, right beside him. Personally, I also find the suspicious "look" on the man's face to be hilarious in its own right. The brilliance of this "look" may also lie in man's "delivery"in which he blatantly breaks the fourth wall.
English:
(Above) Everyone’s Suspect
(Below) — I wonder if my wife is cheating on me?..
Türkçe:
(Üstte) Herkes Şüphede
(Altta) — Acaba karım bana hıyanet ediyor mu?..