59. Today in 1920s Turkey: 8 February 1926 (A Cross-Dresser’s Journey)

(Cartoon by Ramiz, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 8 February 1926, no. 332, pages 2 and 3. Hakkı Tarık Us Collection, Beyazit State Library, Istanbul, Turkey.)

Comments:
In seven continuous frames spanning two pages, Ramiz (signature in lower left corner) takes us on a journey through the many stages of cross-dressing. Step-by-step, in a pseudo-strip-tease process, the numerous props and accessories used to create the illusion of femininity are revealed to the reader. Since the Arabic script is read from right to left, these types of comic-strip style layouts are also meant to be read from right to left... However, not a whole lot of meaning is lost when “read” from right to left. The intended direction connotes undressing, while the reverse direction suggests “getting into drag.”

The text for this cartoon is minimal. What is more important is the drastic “transformation” visible between the first frame and the last—between the buxom woman (dare I say, “queen”) on the right and the scrawny old (toothless!) man on the left. The fact that this cartoon unfolds over two pages contributes to the "transformation" narrative. On page 2 (right) we see mostly a feminine body; the removal of the bra happens on the crease between the two pages; and finally, on page 3 (left) we see a male or at least a more androgynous body.

I must admit, LGBT culture in Ottoman Istanbul or early Republican Turkey falls outside of my area of expertise. Here is what I can say: a tradition of cross-dressing in the entertainment industry had been in existence for centuries. A male dancer/singer/musician who dressed as a woman was called a köçek. The example illustrated in the cartoon, however, does not seem to represent such a character or occupation. Cross-dressing as a story plot-line revolving around a gender “deception” was prevalent at the time as well. For instance, there were several centuries-old Turkish shadow theater stories that revolved around the main character, the swarthy Karagöz dressing as a woman to sneak into a potential lover’s home undetected or donning a wedding gown to marry a desperate man as a get-rich-quick scam. In each case his real gender is eventually discovered (his veil lifted to find a thick beard underneath) which provides the climactic and humorous end to such stories.

It is likely that, as in many other urban centers around the world, men who dressed like women for the purpose of personal choice or prostitution were visible in Istanbul. It is possible that the cartoonist saw such a person and decided to deconstruct her/his drag in a comic strip to exploit its amusing transformative qualities. The representation and brief commentary provided by Ramiz reflects a rather clinical, matter-of-fact-ish approach to the subject at hand, suggesting that the transvestite is just one of the many colorful characters the streets of Istanbul has to offer for the perceptive people watchers (such as local caricaturists) of its time.

English:
[What’s] On the Inside (or “Their Inner Faces”)

Türkçe:
İç Yüzleri

(Entire page, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 8 February 1926, no. 332, page 2. Hakkı Tarık Us Collection, Beyazit State Library, Istanbul, Turkey.)

(Entire page, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 8 February 1926, no. 332, page 3. Hakkı Tarık Us Collection, Beyazit State Library, Istanbul, Turkey.)

Interested readers may find the following source useful for further reading:
Ze'evi, Dror. Producing Desire: Changing Sexual Discourse in the Ottoman Middle East, 1500-1900. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006.
(Pages 144 and 145 were especially helpful in informing this post.)