Charles Pertusier (1779-1836) was an officer of the Horse Artillery Regiment of the Imperial Guard. After completing his studies at the École Polytechnique of France, he was sent to Venetian Dalmatia and served as officer of the artillery. In Dalmatia, Pertusier was able to study the local antiquities. He stayed in Istanbul from 1812 to the fall of Napoleon, as military attaché to French ambassador A. Fr. Andréossy. After the Restauration, Pertusier ascended the ranks of the military hierarchy. He was also a fellow of the Societé Géographique of Paris and the Academy of Sciences of Besançon, and a holder of the Légion d'Honneur.

Apart from his remarkable work on Istanbul and its environs, Pertusier composed literary works and political and military studies on the regions adjacent to the Adriatic sea. His description of Istanbul is divided into walks to the monuments and sights of the city. Pertusier includes a wealth on information on the monuments as well as on the religious and ethnic groups which coexisted in the Ottoman capital (by dedicating, for example, several chapters to Phanariot Greeks). His work is one of the most remarkable editions on early 19th century Istanbul.

The Atlas to the text includes plates showing monuments and views of Istanbul. The exquisite engravings are the work of Piringer, while the drawings were made by famous painter, draughtsman and architect M. Fr. Préaulx. Préaulx lived in Istanbul from 1796 to 1827 and worked for several other Western European travellers such as Th. Hope, Lord Elgin, Ed. D. Clarke and Fr. Andréossy. Thus, his drawings illustrate a great number of travel accounts.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou

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  The quarter of Fenerbahçe south of Kadiköy, on the Asian coast of the Bosporus.

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  Title page.

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  Seraglio Point from the south: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Tower of Galata on the right.

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  View of the Golden Gate at the walls of Istanbul.

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  Çağlayan Palace at Sweet Waters of Europe (Kağıthane). The palace was built on the ruins of Saadabad Palace, which was demolished in 1730, during the revolt of Patrona Halil.

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  View of Tophane square. In the background, the mosque of Ahmed I. On the right, the fountain of Mahmud I.

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  View of Istanbul, from Topkapi Palace to the mosque of Suleiman I.

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  The palace of Esme Sultan at Eyüp, Istanbul.

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  The kiosk of Selim III at Bebek, on the European coast of the Bosporus. The Sultan and his officials used the kiosk to receive representatives of foreign nations.

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  The mausoleum of Suleiman I at Süleimaniye mosque.

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  View of the Hippodrome of Istanbul and the mosque of Sultan Ahmed I. On the left, Hagia Sophia.

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  View of the shipyard of Kasımpaşa, Istanbul. In the background, the Tower of Galata.

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  View of the miltary barracks and the park of Pera.

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  Muslim cemetery at Eyüp, Istanbul.

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  The Anatolian Castle (Anadolu Hisarı) on the Asian coast of the Bosporus.

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  Kiosk by the sea at Sweet Waters of Asia.

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  Landscape at Çubuklu, on the northeastern coast of the Bosporus.

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  View of the fountain of Ahmed III at Üsküdar.

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  View of Dolmabahçe Park, where the Palace of Dolmabahçe was built later in the 19th century.

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  View of Tarabya, Istanbul.

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  Panoramic view of Istanbul, from the mosque of Suleiman I to Eyüp district.

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  Landscape at Büyükdere on the northwestern coast of the Bosporus.

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  Valide Dam at Belgrade Forest, on the northwestern coast of the Bosporus.

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  Leisure scene at one of the fields where the Sultan used to hunt. In the background, a storyteller entertaining the public.

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  The quarter of Büyükdere on the northwestern coast of the Bosporus.

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  The junction of the Bosporus and the Black Sea.