[WALKER, Mary Adelaide. Brousse: Album historique, Istanbul, 1866].

Mary Adelaide Walker was a British traveller. Her brother was the British chaplain in Istanbul during the 1850’s. She must have arrived in Istanbul soon after the Crimean war, around 1856, and stayed in the East for approximately forty years. While in the Ottoman capital, she met Lady Hornby, known for her chronicle “Constantinople during the Crimean War” and illustrated her work.

In 1860, Walker followed her brother to Thessaloniki, as he took up a position as vicar in that city. She was thus able to make a grand tour of Northern Greece. From Istanbul, she travelled to Kavala and Philippoi via the Dardanelles. Subsequently, she sailed around Mount Athos peninsula to Thessaloniki and continued on to Pella, Edessa, Bitola (Monastir), Ohrid, Castoria and Florina. She wrote several books on her travels in modern-day European Turkey and especially Bithynia, as well as works dealing with the customs and traditions of the Ottoman empire.

The present album was published anonymously. Nevertheless, all the drawings on which the lithographs are based were signed by Mary Adelaide Walker. The monuments and main buildings of the city are rendered with clarity. In contrast to the convention in illustrated editions from the 17th century onwards, the views do not include human figures in picturesque scenes of everyday life. The plates of this edition splendidly depict the lush vegetation on the outskirts of Bursa and the formidable buildings.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou

• WALKER, Mary Adelaide