Habit of a Eunuch in 1749

by Thomas Jefferys

The hand-colored copperplate engraving above depicts the unique dress style of a seraglio eunuch, which could have been made while observing one in the Ottoman harem. This particular engraving was created by Thomas Jefferys, a renowned geographer and engraver to King George III, who took the time to engrave the 'Habit,' satisfying the Enlightenment interest in "The Orient."

Here, we see a figure dressed in multiple layers of flowing robes, featuring wide sleeves and narrow waist. This indicates their importance as powerful officials in the administration of the empire, and the engraving itself serves as both artwork and sociopolitical document, showing the way that the West understood the nuances of gender relations in Oriental palaces through dress.