Constance de Ravinel

What people wore

Summer dress codes in Trabzon

In Trabzon’s Ortamahalle, women strictly avoided wearing dark colors like black in summer, opting instead for pinks and blues and completing outfits with white gloves when heading out.

Getting around

Long Train Journeys Between Cities

Traveling by mail train between Istanbul and Gaziantep typically took two days and two nights. These journeys were often characterized by long delays, crowding, and the absence of assigned seating.

At the table

Staple foods and village dining habits

For many peasant families, the diet consisted of bread, corn porridge, onions, and yogurt, while wheat bread provided 50–60% of total calories. In some village households, all family members ate from a single dish, where the fastest eaters consumed the most.

Music

Shepherd music for sheep

Shepherds played specific musical tunes on the kaval flute for their sheep, believing it helped the animals remain calm, graze better, and digest their food.

Daily life

Education and Social Interaction for Children

While urban children might attend school, rural education remained limited, as most of the population lived in villages without significant improvements in schooling or health services. Children in tight-knit neighborhoods often traveled to school together, and some were exposed to American cultural influences like new toys and games through interaction with American families.

News and letters

Long-distance telephone wait times

Long-distance phone calls required a PTT operator; standard calls could take over two to three hours to connect, while express calls took about thirty minutes and urgent lightning calls took five to ten minutes.