Scutari the Asiatic Port of Constantinople 1838

John Frederick Lewis made this print of Scutari, now Üsküdar, on the Asian side of Istanbul. Lewis was one of several British artists who popularized Orientalism, a Western fascination with the Middle East. These images offered European audiences an imagined view of life in Ottoman lands. But what social function did these images serve back home? Orientalist art often reinforced a sense of European superiority. Note the visual codes: the bustling port, the traditional architecture, and the figures in local dress. By focusing on the picturesque and the exotic, Lewis’s work could have perpetuated stereotypes and contributed to a narrative of Western progress versus Eastern stagnation. To fully understand this work, we need to consider its place in the history of empire, of art institutions, and of cultural exchange. Research into travel accounts, political cartoons, and museum collections can offer a clearer understanding of the ways in which images like these shaped attitudes and justified political action.