Storyteller in a coffeehouse in Istanbul

Description

Featured in the 1836 collaborative work of Thomas Allom and Robert Walsh, this steel engraving depicts a traditional 'meddah' (storyteller) narrating a story in an Istanbul coffeehouse. While the storyteller gesturing on an elevated platform is situated in the center, Ottoman human types listening intently, smoking long pipes, and sipping coffee are illustrated around him. This visual aesthetically documents the vibrant place of traditional Turkish folk theater and oral culture in coffeehouses—the urban meeting points—along with society's shared memory and entertainment culture.