Jean-Baptiste Vanmour of Valenciennes stands out as an exception
in this respect. His extended sojourn in the East provided
Vanmour with access to areas that were prohibited to other
Europeans. Vanmour’s genre scenes of the domestic interior,
particularly the ones depicting the Turkish woman, were widely
favored by enthusiastic admirers. Consequently, similar
compositions were repeatedly produced in the artist’s studio in
İstanbul. As the paintings centered on the domestic interior
reveal, fortune-telling from coffee cups, smoking tobacco pipes,
spinning yarn, embroidering, hosting –mostly overnight– guests,
and frequenting the hamam were important pastimes in the daily
life of Ottoman women. The harem women also enjoyed musical or
theatrical entertainment. Practicing music was not confined to
the women of the Palace; it was also a widespread pursuit in the
palaces, mansions and seaside residences of state officials and
Court circles. Life and the city Apart from the picturesque or
panoramic views, İstanbul a