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Elizabeth Dodge Huntington Clarke Collection of Arabic, Persian and Turkish Calligraphy
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Elizabeth Dodge Clarke was involved in several organizations in Istanbul, Turkey before World War II: Robert College, the American College for Girls, and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). Elizabeth Wentworth Dodge was born August 10, 1884 in Riverdale, New York. After graduating from the Brearley School in Manhattan in 1903, Elizabeth Dodge became involved in the YWCA through her aunt, Grace Hoadley Dodge, a philanthropist who was active in the formation of the YWCA.
Elizabeth Dodge's father was President of the Board of Trustees of Robert College, a private American high school in Istanbul founded in 1863. In 1916, she married George H. Huntington, a teacher at Robert College. They lived in Istanbul until 1933 when they returned to the United States to seek treatment for Huntington's polio. They returned to Istanbul in 1938, still active in positions at Robert College, but then left again before World War II. Huntington died in 1953.
Throughout this time, Clarke was active on the board of Robert College; worked with the American College for Girls, a school for Christian Turkish women in Istanbul; and participated in the YWCA's Istanbul Service Center.
Clarke married her friend Dumont Clarke in 1955. She received an honorary degree from the Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio in 1963. She died January 9, 1976 in Riverdale, New York.
Consists of 32 Ottoman Turkish berat (imperial certificates of award or authorization), five examples of calligraphy on paper, matted, and four framed mottos and tughras. The berat date from 1876-1903; each bears the tughra of the reigning sultan. The three dimensional objects include two tughras in gold (one carved from wood), a decorative hanging based on the name ʻAlī, and a motto in gilt plaster or wood in a gilt plaster frame.
Gift of Elizabeth Dodge Huntington Clarke in memory of Prof. Lewis V. Thomas, June 16, 1970.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Finding aid written by Denise Soufi in 2010 based on earlier information. The collection title was updated by Kelly Bolding in July 2022 to include Elizabeth Dodge Huntington Clarke's full name.
No appraisal information is available.
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Denise Soufi
- Finding Aid Date
- 2010
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Collection Inventory
Three lines of text in two clouds with two medallions below. Each medallion has five lines of text; the right bears the date 1284 A.H./1868 A.D. Text is surrounded by gilt framed by a blue border embellished with floral designs. Scalloped medallions with a stem of grapes at the center are found at each corner.
Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 item11.5 x 8.4 cm
Manuscript is dated 1291 A.H./1875 A.D. and signed by Mehmet Evliya. Black ink on buff paper.
Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 item29.7 x 49.3 cm
The name Muḥammad is at the center, the name 'Alī is repeated five times around it, followed by a formulaic phrase. Outside these are five trapezoids containing text defending 'Alī as the rightful successor to Muḥammad. The intervening spaces hold the names of the other three "Rightly Guided" caliphs: Abū Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmān. Outside this are four verses from the Qur'ān. The corners are decorated with floral designs. There is a 6 mm. wide gilt frame with ruled lines in blue.
Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 item50.7 x 50.8 cm
Left panel shows the Ḥaram al-Sharīf in Jerusalem. At the center is the portal of al-Aqṣá Mosque and two minarets. Around the central image are drawings of other Jerusalem landmarks. Framed by a gray border 1 cm. wide. Right panel is a similar rendering of the Ḥaram in Medina. Locations of important sites in that city are identified in writing. Also bordered in gray, line drawings are highlighted with brown, green and yellow. The panels are separated by a row of geometric patterns tinted in pale yellow. The pictures are identified in 'unwans at the top of each panel.
Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 item21.2 x 37.9 cm
Polychrome, floriated background. Signed: Faqīr 'Alī (author? copyist?).
Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 item11.5 x 8.4 cm
"'Izz rafīʻ ṭamaʻ dhull." Carved in plaster (?) and gilded. Pattern is tacked onto wood, covered with gold velvet and mounted in an ornate gilt plaster and wood frame.
Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 box47.5 x 38 cm
Reverse covered with marbled paper. Board is cupped slightly on the vertical toward the obverse side. Obverse design is the name "Alī" mirrored with intersecting "lāms" forming an angle and joining at the top; the "yā's" join at the bottom, the right-hand one piercing the left. The design is framed by a 1.5 cm. border of brown paper sent about 2 cm. from the edge of the wood. In the center is an intertwining geometric form in yellow from which sprouts a green stalk bearing 22 violet blooms in various stages of development. Flanking the "lāms" are two flowers surmounting similar geometric designs. These flowers are in blue, green, gold, red and violet. The spaces within the "'ayns" have one lateral leaf in gray, green and yellow; the space between the two "yā's" has an open blossom in the same fashion. At the interior corners are geometric line designs. The work is signed:""'Alī al-Waṣfī" and dated 1205 A.H./1790 or 91 A.D.
Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 box33.6 x 29.8 cm
Tughra of Murat V in gold. Printed form. Text in black. Dated 3 Şevval 1293 A.H./22 Oct. 1876 A.D. Awarded to Mülazim Mehmet Hayri Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item57 x 35.9 cm
Tughra of 'Abdülaziz. Printed form. Text handwritten. Dated 19 Sefer 1290 A.H./19 Apr. 1876 A.D. Awarded to Abdullah Kamil Paşa (?).
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.3 x 35.9 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Printed form. Text dated 7 Şaban 1299 A.H./24 June 1882 A.D. Awarded to Sağkolağsi Sabri.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.1 x 26.1 cm
Tughra of Abdülaziz. Text handwritten and dated evakhir Şevval 1282 A.H./Feb. 1866. Awarded to Binbaşi İbrahim.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.9 x 36.2 cm
Tughra of 'Abdülaziz. Text handwritten and dated evasit Zilkade 1278 A.H./May 1862. Awarded to Abdullah Kamil Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.7 x 36.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit. Text handwritten. Dated 22 Şaban 1298 A.H./20 July 1881. Awarded to Kolağasi Yusuf Izzet Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item26.5 x 36.1 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 22 Şevval 1297 A.H./27 Sept. 1880 A.D. Awarded to Hüseyn Hüsni Paşa.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.8 x 36.5 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 9 Ramazan 1299 A.H./25 July 1882 A.D. Awarded to (?) Edip Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 36.3 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 17 Zilkade 1304 A.H./7 Aug. 1887 A.D. Awarded to (?) Arif Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 36.3 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 5 Şevval 1307 A.H./25 May 1890 A.D. Awarded to Yusuf Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 36.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 12 Şevval 1301 A.H./5 Aug. 1884 A.D. Awarded to Yusuf Izzet Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.5 x 36.5 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 24 Ramazan 1304 A.H./16 June 1887 A.D. Awarded to Neşet(?) Nişan(?) Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.5 x 36.3 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 16 Muharrem 1303 A.H./25 Oct. 1885 A.D. Awarded to Tabib İbrahim Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.7 x 36.4 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 25 Muharrem 1301 A.H./26 Nov. 1883 A.D. Awarded to Edip Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.3 x 36.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 28 Cemaziyülevvel 1302 A.H./15 March 1885 A.D. Awarded to Neşet.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 36.4 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 26 Ramazan 1301 A.H./26 June 1884 A.D. Awarded to İbrahim Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 36.4 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 16 Şevval 1313 A.H./10 Apr. 1896 A.D. Awarded to Arif Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.5 x 38.1 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 25 Cemaziyülevvel 1319 A.H./9 Sept. 1901 A.D. Awarded to Süleyman Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 36.3 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 22 Şevval 1315 A.H./16 March 1898 A.D. Awarded to Mülazim-i evvel Osman Nuri.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.9 x 37.7 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II, form printed. Dated 15 Cemaziyülahir 1320 A.H./19 Sept. 1902 A.D. Awarded to Hulusi Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 31.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II, form printed. Dated 17 Cemaziyülevvel 1321 A.H./11 Aug. 1903. Awarded to Tahsin Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.4 x 31.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II, form printed. Dated 14 Cemaziyülevvel 1321 A.H./8 Aug. 1903. Awarded to Aziz Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 31.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Dated 27 Sefer 1316 A.H./17 July 1898 A.D. Awarded to Süleymen bin Hasan.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.4 x 28.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II, form printed. Dated 21 Zilkade 1314 a.H./23 Apr. 1897 A.D. Awarded to Osman Nuri Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.4 x 28.6 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 26 Sefer 1315 A.H./27 July 1897 A.D. Awarded to Kolağasi Osman Nuri Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item55.5 x 38.1 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Text handwritten. Dated 5 Zilhicce 1317 A.H./6 Apr. 1900 A.D. Awarded to Osman Nuri Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item50.1 x 26.8 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Form printed on both sides. Dated 10 Zilhicce 1300 A.H./12 Oct. 1883 A.D. Awarded to Hüseyn Hüsni Paşa.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item58.4 x 27.7 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Form printed on both sides. Dated 20 Sefer 1301 A.H./21 Dec. 1883 A.D. Awarded to Hüseyn Hüsni Paşa.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item58.4 x 27.3 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Form printed on both sides. Dated 21 Ramazan 1306 A.H./21 May 1889 A.D. Awarded to Yusuf Izzet Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item58.5 x 27.2 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Form printed on both sides. Dated 21 Ramazan 1306 A.H./21 May 1889 A.D. Awarded to Hayri Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item58.5 x 27.3 cm
Tughra of Mehmet V. Form printed. Dated 23 Rebiyülahir 1334 A.H./28 Feb. 1916. Awarded to Suad Bey.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item56.6 x 33.6 cm
Tughra of Abdülhamit II. Form printed. Dated 10 Zilkade 1295 A.H./5 Nov. 1878 A.D. Awarded to Mülazim-i evvel Yusuf Efendi.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 item38.7 x 26.5 cm
Tughra of Mahmut II, Sultan of the Turks, 1784-1839. Carved and gilded wood. Gilt wood frame; floral design.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 box
Tughra of Selim III, Sultan of the Turks, 1761-1808. Signed "Eser-i hame-yi Elhac Mehmet Emir an Hacegan-i Divan-i Hümayun mütevelli Nur Osmani Hala sene 1218," i.e. 1803 or 1804 A.D. Painted on linen (?). Includes depiction of an upholstered chair and two bonquets. Gold on blue background; chair cushion in green and white.
Turkish manuscript.
Physical Description1 box
Dated 1315 A.H./1897 A.D. and signed "Mehmet Cemaleddin bin Sami." A calligraphic decorative piece. A square frame composed of stylized tulip designs containing gilt arabesques. Corners are stylized fleur-de-lis. These devices are connected by a gilt vine motif and rest on a 6 cm. wide gilt band. Two bands of Turkish poetry run along each interior side of the square. At the center, in a circle, is the name of Muḥammad the Prophet and the customary blessing which follows it (ṣalla Allāh 'alayhī wa-sallam) in the form of an Ottoman tughra. In a circular band around this is the phrase in Arabic praising the Prophet. The space between the outer circle and the bands of poetry is filled with vine-like arabesques and tulip designs in blue, green, red and yellow. The piece was commissioned by the children of military martyrs' group and was printed in a limited edition of 1000 copies. Printed by Alem Matbaasi. Frame is wood and carved gilt plaster.
Turkish and Arabic manuscript.
Physical Description1 box50.8 x 51.3 cm