Ottoman 1926 Payment Receipt for Painting and Repair Work İzmir Lesbos Greece Watermark
Ottoman Payment Receipt for Painting and Repair Work – İzmir (1926)
Description:
This Ottoman Turkish document is an official payment receipt dated 28 Kanun-ı Sani 1926, recording the full payment for painting and finishing work carried out on a residential property in İzmir. Although issued during the early years of the Republic of Turkey, the document is written entirely in Ottoman Turkish, reflecting the period before the Turkish Alphabet Reform of 1928.
The receipt states that a total payment of 11,500 kuruş was made for painting the entrance doors, window shutters, and the iron railings surrounding the garden of House No. 32, located on Mektupçu Yokuşu, Mansurizade Street, in the Karantina district of İzmir. The amount corresponds to the value determined in the official inspection and cost assessment (keşif) prepared before the work was undertaken.
According to the document, the payment was made by Mütevelli Mehmed Halid Efendi, residing at Sulu Han, while the recipient was Midillili Boyacı İsmail, a painter living in Temaşalık Mahallesi, İzmir, who had completed the work. By issuing this receipt, the craftsman formally acknowledged that he had received the entire sum of 11,500 kuruş in full, thereby confirming the completion of both the work and the financial obligation.
Beyond its legal purpose, the document provides an interesting glimpse into everyday urban life in early Republican İzmir. It illustrates the use of written contracts and official receipts for construction and maintenance work, while preserving information about local craftsmen, residential neighborhoods, and commercial practices. Documents of this nature offer valuable evidence of the continuity of Ottoman administrative traditions during the first years of the Republic, when official business was still conducted in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet.
Bearing its original revenue stamps and signature, this receipt is an excellent example of early Republican financial documentation while retaining the language and bureaucratic conventions of the late Ottoman period. It is particularly valuable for the study of İzmir's urban history, traditional building trades, and the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey.
For collectors and researchers, this is an attractive historical document connecting Ottoman Turkish administrative practice, early Republican urban life, and the history of traditional craftsmanship in İzmir.
Key Features:
• Type: Official payment receipt
• Date: 28 Kanun-ı Sani 1926
• Location: Karantina District, Mansurizade Street, Mektupçu Yokuşu, House No. 32, İzmir
• Language: Ottoman Turkish
• Subject: Payment for painting and finishing work carried out on a residential property
• Property Owner's Representative: Mütevelli Mehmed Halid Efendi, residing at Sulu Han
• Craftsman: Midillili Boyacı İsmail of Temaşalık Mahallesi, İzmir
• Amount Paid: 11,500 kuruş
• Work Performed: Painting of entrance doors, window shutters, and garden iron railings, together with associated workmanship
• Historical Context: Documents everyday construction and maintenance work in early Republican İzmir while illustrating the continued use of Ottoman Turkish in official documents prior to the Alphabet Reform of 1928
• Physical Features: Original revenue stamps and signature
• Collectible Significance: Valuable for collectors of Ottoman Turkish documents, early Republican history, İzmir local history, architectural history, and traditional craftsmanship records