Figural representations in the art of the Ottoman Empire occur in only a few media: illustrated manuscripts, painted ceramics, metalware, and textiles. With the exception of manuscript painting, representations of humans are rare, and depictions of women almost nonexistent. This entry provides an overview of how women were represented in Ottoman painting and, after its invention, photography, from the sixteenth century until the end of the empire in the early twentieth century.

The rich tradition of Ottoman miniature painting includes the detailed histories produced…