Today in 1920s Turkey: 31 December 1925 (Football Before Females)
(Illustration by İhap Hulusi Görey, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 31 December 1925, no. 321, page 2.)
English
Man: Oh… When will you be mine?
Woman: Maybe… tomorrow!
Man: Uh… Not tomorrow, there is a football match!
Türkçe
Erkek: Ah… Ne zaman benim olacaksın?..
Kadın: Belki… yarın!
Erkek: Ah… Yarın olmaz, futbol maçı var!..
Comments:
As is the case in much of the world, football (or for Americans, “soccer”) is by far the most popular national pastime in Turkey today. What is perhaps less known is just how far back this passion for football can be traced. With Istanbul’s earliest football team having been established in 1899, by the 1920s football was a sport that newspapers regularly reported on and that many men found appealing to watch. Thru the dialogue below it, this composition provides a humorous comparison between two of man’s most primal distractions/pursuits: women and competitive sporting events. When faced with the choice of how to spend his time “tomorrow” the man chooses football over an attractive woman who has already promised herself to him.
This image constitutes an early work by the artist, İhap Hulusi Görey (1898-1986), who became best known for his advertisement designs and posters. The artist’s work is highly recognizable by its effortless and cool graphic style and by his signature which can be found in the lower right corner of the image. His signature changed in 1928 with the advent of alphabet reform but always maintained the triangle at its center. Here, the name “İhap Hulusi” is placed above the triangle and the location “Istanbul” is below it. He began his professional career in Istanbul in the second half of the 1920s submitting works to illustrated journals such as Akbaba and later Cem. Other examples of his work have been covered by Today in 1920s Turkey and can be found in posts #70 (His Master’s Voice Gramophones) and #129 (Youth Serum+Love=Warm Winters).
(Entire page, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 31 December 1925, no. 321, page 2.)
This article has been updated and modified from its first iteration published right here on Steemit on 31 December 2016. For the original version see:
44. Today in 1920s Turkey: 31 December 1925 (Football Before Females)