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Collection Overview

Collector:
Clarke, Elizabeth Dodge Huntington, 1884-1976 (1884-1976)
Title:
Elizabeth Dodge Huntington Clarke Collection of Arabic, Persian and Turkish Calligraphy
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/fx719m535
Dates:
1803-1916
Size:
7 boxes
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-7
Language:
Turkish, Ottoman Arabic

Abstract

Collection of Ottoman Turkish berat (imperial certificates of award or authorization), calligraphy, mottos and tughras.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of 32 Ottoman Turkish berat (imperial certificates of award or authorization), five examples of calligraphy on paper, matted, and four framed mottos and tughras. The berat date from 1876-1903; each bears the tughra of the reigning sultan. The three dimensional objects include two tughras in gold (one carved from wood), a decorative hanging based on the name ʻAlī, and a motto in gilt plaster or wood in a gilt plaster frame.

Collection Creator Biography:

Clarke, Elizabeth Dodge Huntington, 1884-1976

Elizabeth Dodge Clarke was involved in several organizations in Istanbul, Turkey before World War II: Robert College, the American College for Girls, and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). Elizabeth Wentworth Dodge was born August 10, 1884 in Riverdale, New York. After graduating from the Brearley School in Manhattan in 1903, Elizabeth Dodge became involved in the YWCA through her aunt, Grace Hoadley Dodge, a philanthropist who was active in the formation of the YWCA.

Elizabeth Dodge's father was President of the Board of Trustees of Robert College, a private American high school in Istanbul founded in 1863. In 1916, she married George H. Huntington, a teacher at Robert College. They lived in Istanbul until 1933 when they returned to the United States to seek treatment for Huntington's polio. They returned to Istanbul in 1938, still active in positions at Robert College, but then left again before World War II. Huntington died in 1953.

Throughout this time, Clarke was active on the board of Robert College; worked with the American College for Girls, a school for Christian Turkish women in Istanbul; and participated in the YWCA's Istanbul Service Center.

Clarke married her friend Dumont Clarke in 1955. She received an honorary degree from the Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio in 1963. She died January 9, 1976 in Riverdale, New York.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gift of Elizabeth Dodge Huntington Clarke in memory of Prof. Lewis V. Thomas, June 16, 1970.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

Finding aid written by Denise Soufi in 2010 based on earlier information. The collection title was updated by Kelly Bolding in July 2022 to include Elizabeth Dodge Huntington Clarke's full name.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Elizabeth Dodge Huntington Clarke Collection of Arabic, Persian and Turkish Calligraphy; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/fx719m535
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-7