Turban Collection

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, Indian ruler
Bhupinder Singh (1891-1938), ruling Maharaja of the state of Patiala from 1900 to 1938. He is perhaps the most famous Maharaja of Patiala, best known for his extravagance, and for being a cricketer

Woman wearing evening dress with flowing fishtail train 1912
Evening dress with high waist tunic and flowing fishtail train, fur collar silk satin wrap around coat closely fitted to the figure with a fasten and turban 1912

Colourful costumes
Exotic, colourful costumes worn by Infant Fernand d Espagne, Mlse d Argenson, Ctesse B. de Clermont-Tonnerre, Guy de Lucinge, M. Dmitri Benardaky, Ctesse A

Girl with a Pearl Earring, c. 1665-6 (oil on canvas)
XOS1109249 Girl with a Pearl Earring, c.1665-6 (oil on canvas) by Vermeer, Jan (Johannes) (1632-75); 44.5x39 cm; Mauritshuis, The Hague

Lady Outside Gucci Shop
A smartly-dressed lady in turban, pearls and gloves, leaves the Gucci shop in Bond Street to step into her waiting Rolls Royce parked outside

Sikh Soldier Ww1
A Sikh officer from India, fighting with the Allies in World War One

The Three Kings (pencil and w/c on paper)
CH136642 The Three Kings (pencil and w/c on paper) by Hey, Paul (1867-1952); 41.8x31 cm; Private Collection; Photo © Christie's Images; © Estate of Paul Hey. All rights reserved 2022

The Chess Game, 1896 (oil on panel)
989236 The Chess Game, 1896 (oil on panel) by Deutsch, Ludwig (1855-1935); 55x41.6 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: The Chess Game. Ludwig Deutsch (1855-1935). Oil on panel. Signed and dated 1896

WW2 poster, The British Commonwealth of Nations Together. 1941

Nasreddin - Seljuq satirist
Nasreddin or Nasreddin Hodja or Mullah Nasreddin Hooja or Mullah Nasruddin (1208-1284) was a Seljuq satirist, born in Hortu Village in Sivrihisar, Eskisehir Province, Turkey

Girl with a Pearl Earring, c1665. Artist: Jan Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring, c1665. The girls headdress has an exotic effect. Turbans were a popular fashionable accessory in Europe as early as the 15th century

King George V Silver Jubilee celebrations, ILN cover, 1935
Soldiers from across the British Empire gather to adore the crown, resplendent on a garlanded pedestal, on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee celebrations of King George V.St Pauls Cathedral can be

Night and Morning (coloured etching)
STC188361 Night and Morning (coloured etching) by Seymour, Robert (1798-1836); Private Collection; (add.info.: Shortshanks was Seymours shortlived pseudonym)

Taking tea in the Harem. Creator: Ernst, Rudolf (1854-1932)
Taking tea in the Harem. Private Collection

Duleep Singh (1838-93) (litho)
KW245936 Duleep Singh (1838-93) (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: the last Maharaja during the Sikh Raj of Punjab; son of Ranjit Singh (1780-1839)

French revolutionary politician Jean-Paul Marat, fatally stabbed in his bath by Charlotte Corday, 13 July 1793
DAVID: THE DEATH OF MARAT. French revolutionary politician Jean-Paul Marat, fatally stabbed in his bath by Charlotte Corday, 13 July 1793. Oil on canvas, 1793, by Jacques Louis David

LA TOUR: FORTUNE TELLER. Georges de La Tour: The Fortune Teller. Canvas, c1630

Sir Richard Burton in India, 1800s
British explorer Richard Burton in native Indian dress, 1848. Hand-colored half tone reproduction of a 19th-century illustration

Barburdar, punkah wallah or fan bearer.. handcolored copperplate engraving by an unknown artist from Asiatic Costumes, Ackermann, London, 1828

Arabs fighting tigers in the desert
Tigers attacking an Arab caravan in the desert. Color lithograph reproduction of a 19th-century illustration

Bhupinder Singh, Maharajah of Patiala playing cricket
Maharajah Bhupinder Singh of Patiala (1891 - 1938) playing cricket. Perhaps best known for his extravagance, the Maharajah nevertheless worked for the betterment of social conditions within his

Star and Stargazer 1926
THE STAR AND THE STAR-GAZER An actress in her dressing room receives a friendly visit from a lover of the theatre

Shell Fountain / Costume
Tunic dress by Paquin: draped tango skirt with front split & train, translucent flared tunic & pearl adorned corsage, toque / turban with feather trim

Mehmed Ii / Ottoman / Thevet
MEHMED II called FATIH (The Conqueror) Ottoman Sultan (1444-46, 1451-81) - considered the true founder of the Ottoman Empire

Two Sikh Princes of the Punjab, 20th July 1918 (b / w photo)
PNP314563 Two Sikh Princes of the Punjab, 20th July 1918 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

LA TOUR: THE CHEAT, c1625. Georges de La Tour: The Cheat. Canvas, c1625

Lord Kitchener making a presentation to an Indian trooper
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, (1850 - 1916), a British Field Marshal, diplomat, and statesman, hands a colonial Indian cavalry soldier a medal

Bet Medhane Alem (Saviour of the World), Lalibela, Ethiopia, Africa

Rasselas and Imlac digging a tunnel
Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, together with his companion, the wise man Imlac, digging a tunnel in order to escape the Happy Valley and see what life is like beyond it

Lance Corporal of Ludhiana Sikhs
Lance-Naik (Lance Corporal) of the Ludhiana Sikhs. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith

In Praise of the British Empire - Physical representations of the British territories of Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia give thanks to King George V

India, Punjab, Amritsar, a sikh pilgrim carrying a barcha spear at the Golden Temple - the holiest shrine of Sikhism

Sayajirao III Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda
Sayajirao III Gaekwad (Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad) (1863-1939) The Maharaja of Baroda from 1875 to 1939, and a notable reformer

Miss Lily Brayton in Hajj. Lily Brayton (1876-1953) was an English actress and singer. Date: early 20th century

A lady, three-quarter length, in Oriental costume (oil on canvas)
2636926 A lady, three-quarter length, in Oriental costume (oil on canvas) by Vanmour, Jean Baptiste (1671-1737) (circle of); 47.3x35.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; French

Dancing Dervishes, Folio from a Divan of Hafiz, ca. 1480. Creator: Bihzad
Dancing Dervishes, Folio from a Divan of Hafiz, ca. 1480

Mae Busch (1891 - 1946), Australian-born actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood

Mount Lebanese man wearing turban, cloak, carrying a spear.. Handcolored woodcut from Auguste Wahlens Manners, Customs and Costumes of all the People of the World, Brussels, 1845

Sultan Osman II - ruler of the Ottoman Turks
Sultan Osman II or Othman II (commonly known as Genc Osman, meaning Osman the Young) (1604-1622) - Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his death on 20 May 1622. Date: circa 1620

ARABIAN NIGHTS. Scheherazade amusing the Sultan Schahriah and prolonging her life with the tales for a thousand and one nights. Colored engraving, 19th century

Wilhelm von Gloeden self-portrait in oriental dressing
3566264 Wilhelm von Gloeden self-portrait in oriental dressing; (add.info.: Taormina 1900 ca. Photographer: Gloeden, Wilhelm Von); Alinari Archives, Florence

The Prince of Wales with the Maharajah of Gwalior during his Indian tour, 1921. The future King Edward VIII and his host ride in the howdah of a decorated elephant

Turkish Barber at Thessaloniki, Greece. Date: circa 1907

Sultan Murad IV Ghazi - ruler of the Ottoman Turks
Murad IV Ghazi (1612 February 9, 1640) - Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640 - known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his method in doing so

India, Rajasthan, Jaisalmer. Boy dancer rests between songs at entrance to Jaisalmer Fort. (MR)

A Good Samaritan - Indian Soldier - WWI
A Good Samaritan - Colonial Indian Soldier from Delhi aids a wounded French trooper - WWI. He leads him to the safety of the Allied lines on the back of a Donkey Date: circa 1917

Sarwani Soldier
A Sarwani (or Sherwani) tribesman. The Sarwani are a Batani Pashtun tribe settled in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Date: circa 1910

RUDOLPH VALENTINO (1895-1926). American (Italian-born) film actor. With his wife, the actress and costume designer Natacha Rambova (n© e Winifred Shaughnessy), in the 1920s

Armenian girl and Syrian men
Armenian girl, Druze man, and a man from Damascus. Antique hand-colored print

People of Lebanon
Maronite of Lebanon (left), armed Zeibek, and Christian Lebanese woman. Antique hand-colored print

British and Indian soldiers - WWI allies (2 / 3)
Comrades at Arms British and Indian troops fighting together during WWI

Stilt fishermen at Welligama, south coast, Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean, Asia

Maskelyne & Cooks automaton, Psycho
Maskelyne & Cooks thought-reading, whist playing automaton, Psycho, as demonstrated at the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London

Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) Maharajah of the Punjab (pencil, gouache & w / c on paper)
NAM195161 Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) Maharajah of the Punjab (pencil, gouache & w/c on paper) by Indian School, (19th century); National Army Museum

Soldiers of the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, illustration for Armies of India
NAM310792 Soldiers of the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, illustration for Armies of India by Major G.F. MacMunn, published in 1911, 1908 (w/c on paper) by Lovett

Ghaus al- Azam, Abdul Qadir Ghilani of Baghdad, c. 1800
1196789 Ghaus al- Azam, Abdul Qadir Ghilani of Baghdad, c. 1800 (gouache with gold paint on paper) by Indian School, (18th century); 25x16 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; Indian

Reciting Poetry in a Garden, Iran, first quarter 17th century. Creator: Unknown
Reciting Poetry in a Garden, Iran, first quarter 17th century

Jahangir and his Father, Akbar, Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, verso: ca. 1630; recto: ca.1540-50

William Edward Dighton (1822-1853) in Middle Eastern Dress, ca. 1852-53. Creator
William Edward Dighton (1822-1853) in Middle Eastern Dress, ca. 1852-53

Bali seashell gleaner, Kuta
Bali seashell gleaner. Silhouette of woman with head scarf bending over to gather shells in the shallow seawater near Kuta Date: 1989

India, Punjab, Amritsar, Pilgrims at The Harmandir Sahib, nown as The Golden Temple

Woman in lavish clothing 1925
An elegant young woman wearing a full length fastened dress to the front, matching turban with jade stone to the centre and jade and pearl necklace and drop earrings

Sikh soldiers resting in a French building, WW1
Sikh soldiers (regiment unidentified but likely to be The 15th Sikhs) resting in a building on the Western Front during the First World War

Devil Dancers, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
Devil Dancers of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), with drummers. Date: circa 1890s

Snake charmer with snake, India. Date: circa 1890s

Thakore Sahib of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India
His Highness the Maharaja Rawul Shree Takhtsingjee, The Thakore Sahib of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India (seated), with attendant. Date: circa 1880s

Sultan Ibrahim - ruler of the Ottoman Turks
Ibrahim (16151648) ( Ibrahim the Mad ) - Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. Date: circa 1645

ELEPHANT & HOWDAH, 1851. Embroidered housings and trappings of the elephant and howdah exhibited by Queen Victoria of Great Britain at the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851

Sir Richard Burton en route to Mecca, 1850s
British explorer Richard Burton disguised as a Muslim pilgrim in Arabia. Color lithograph reproduction of a 19th-century illustration

Sultan Mehmed II, 1480 (oil on canvas)
7146831 Sultan Mehmed II, 1480 (oil on canvas) by Bellini, Gentile (c.1429-1507); Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK; (add.info.: Sultan Mehmed II (1432-1481), 1480, by Gentile Bellini

The Second of May, 1808 or The Charge of the Mamelukes, 1814 (oil on canvas) (post-restoration)
2920870 The Second of May, 1808 or The Charge of the Mamelukes, 1814 (oil on canvas) (post-restoration) by Goya y Lucientes, Francisco Jose de (1746-1828); 266x345 cm; Prado, Madrid

Mourad III - Murad III (1546-1595), Sultan of the Ottoman Empire par Veronese, Paolo, (School), - Oil on canvas
FIA5400549 Mourad III - Murad III (1546-1595), Sultan of the Ottoman Empire par Veronese, Paolo, (School), - Oil on canvas, 69x54 - Bayerische Staatsgemaeldesammlungen by Veronese

Portrait de Khizir Khayr ad-Din (Ad Din) dit Barberousse, (1478-1546)
FIA5403269 Portrait de Khizir Khayr ad-Din (Ad Din) dit Barberousse, (1478-1546), pirate et amiral turc (empire ottoman) - portrait of Hayreddin Barbarossa

The Scribe, (oil on canvas)
651541 The Scribe, (oil on canvas) by Deutsch, Ludwig (1855-1935); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Scribe. Ludwig Deutsch (1855-1935)

Three Sikh men, India. Date: 1843

The Troops Emerging from the Narrow Part of the Defile in the Koojah Pass
STC135161 The Troops Emerging from the Narrow Part of the Defile in the Koojah Pass, from Sketches in Afghaunistan, engraved by Charles Haghe (1810-88) and Louis Haghe (1806-85)

Actress Joan Collins modelling outfits that she will wear on a trip to Tokyo to judge a music festival. 10th May 1974

The Nizam of Hyderabad, c1911, (c1920). Creator: Bourne & Shepherd
The Nizam of Hyderabad, c1911, (c1920). Portrait of Asaf Jah VII (1886-1967), the last Nizam (ruler) of the princely state of Hyderabad in India

The dancer. Found in the Collection of Collection Perez Simon, Mexico

Of the Imperial Cadet Corps, 1903. Artist: Mortimer L Menpes
Of the Imperial Cadet Corps, 1903. From The Durbar, by Mortimer Menpes. Text by Dorothy Menpes. [Adam and Charles Black, London, 1903]

Indian cavalrymen, 1896. Artist: Gregory & Co
Indian cavalrymen, 1896. Guides Cavalry (Queens Own) of the North West Frontier; the Central India Horse; the 1st Bengal Cavalry (the famous 1st Irregulars)

Bus service, Khewra, Punjab, British India
Bus service on a street in Khewra, a salt mining district in Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan). Date: 1933

SAMORY TOURE (c1830-1900). West African ruler. Pen-and-ink drawing, French

SEQUOYA (1770?-1843). Native American scholar, with his printed Cherokee alphabet. Painting by Henry Inmam, after a painting by Charles Bird King, c1830

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"The Turban: A Timeless Symbol of Culture, Power, and Identity" From the enigmatic gaze of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" to the elegant lady standing outside a Gucci shop, the turban has adorned heads throughout history, transcending time and cultures. In 1665-6, Vermeer immortalized the allure of a young woman wearing a turban in his iconic painting. The turban became synonymous with mystery and femininity. During King George V's Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1935, an ILN cover showcased the grandeur of this headpiece as it graced royal heads across nations. It symbolized regality and honor. The canvas by Georges de La Tour displayed a fortune teller donning a turban in 1630. This portrayal highlighted its association with mysticism and divination. Even on battlefields like World War I, Sikh soldiers proudly wore turbans as part of their religious identity while fearlessly fighting for their countries' freedom. Centuries before them, Nasreddin - Seljuq satirist - used humor to challenge societal norms while sporting his distinctive turban. Duleep Singh's lithograph depicted him wearing a majestic turban that represented his heritage as the last Maharaja of Punjab amidst British colonial rule. Jean-Paul Marat met his tragic end at the hands of Charlotte Corday; however, even in death, he was portrayed wearing his signature red cap-turban combo—a symbol of revolutionary fervor during France’s tumultuous times. In World War II posters promoting unity within The British Commonwealth Nations Together campaign featured diverse individuals united under one cause—turbans representing solidarity amid adversity. Barburdar or punkah wallahs were indispensable figures in Indian households who kept inhabitants cool using hand fans—an essential accessory often accompanied by turbans that added elegance to their role.