Habit of the Grand Seignior's Body Guard in 1700

by Thomas Jefferys

The remarkable copperplate engraving produced by Thomas Jefferys provides an informative depiction of the Habit of the Grand Seignior’s Body Guard, which refers to one of the members of the highly respected Solak regiment.

Dressed in their ceremonial attire, the guards were responsible for providing bodyguard services to the Sultan ("Grand Seignior") on parades and military expeditions. Jefferys' prints are famous for their high level of ethnographic accuracy, reflecting the transformation of the visual appearance of the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 18th century.