46. Today in 1920s Turkey: 2 January 1927 (Santa: Deliverer of Gifts AND Love Letters?)

(Illustration, Papağan or “Parrot,” 2 January 1927, no. 192, page 3.)

Comments:
This illustration presents to us the lavishly decorated interior space of a wealthy, upper-class urbanite couple. The fashionable couple—man seated and woman standing—are featured in front of their living room fireplace and this is no coincidence. The fireplace is at the center of the joke that unfolds in the text below which reads as follows:

English:
Man: What is this disgrace? I find a love letter that fell from your pocket in front of the fireplace?
Woman: Don’t fret, darling, Father Christmas is just teasing you!

Türkçe:
Erkek: Bu ne rezalet?.. Şöminenin önünde cebinden düşmüş bir aşk mektubu buldum?
Kadın: Üzülme, yavrum, seninle Noel Baba alay etmiş!

In previous posts (#42 and #45) I’ve mentioned the prevalence of Noel Baba or Santa Claus in 1920s print media in Turkey. His appearance was adopted wholesale while the holiday that he was traditionally associated with (i.e. Christmas) was modified to be New Year and this is why Santa is the punchline to an illustration published the day after New Year. Like his physical attributes, the general mythology surrounding Santa’s practice of giving gifts and his methodology of miraculously delivering these presents via the chimney was also borrowed as the dialogue below the image makes clear. Indeed, when the woman’s husband finds a love letter in front of the fireplace this becomes the detail that connects the letter to Santa’s unannounced intrusion.

This upper-class, cunning female character frequently appears in cartoons of this period. A caricature of many negative types, she is superficial, catty, shallow, and self-absorbed. And some of the positive qualities of the same woman are her quick-wittedness, sense of fashion, and unwavering self-confidence. Other examples of these female “types” (both negative and positive) can be found in the following posts: #44: Football Before Females, #37: Wife and Mother-in-Law Rivalry, #33: Breaking the Domed Ceiling One Fashion Choice at a Time, #12: Single Ladies, and #3: Fashionable Nudity.