Mihri Hanım was the first Turkish painter to paint Atatürk's portrait after the proclamation of the Republic. As it is known, Mihri Hanım is the first female painter to be educated in the West. She is the only female teacher of İnas Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi, which was opened for girls during the Second Constitutional Era. Mihri Rasim was introduced widely for the first time by us. Information about Mihri Hanım is given in our book titled "Our First Women Painters", which was published in Turkish-English in "Art World" and later in Turkish-English.

The first picture of Atatürk in Marshal uniform, made by Mihri Rasim and abroad.

Mihri Hanım, while working at İnas Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi, followed the national movement in Anatolia with enthusiasm. Mihri Hanım was very happy with the declaration of the Republic, which was founded with the great victory and the result of the great victory, and the beginning of the revolutions. Mihri Hanım, who spent her youth in Paris, is a modern woman whose thoughts, like her art, are on the path of modernity. She established great friendships with the outstanding cultural figures of Istanbul and made portraits of many well-known people.

Mihri Hanım, who admires Mustafa Kemal's victories and revolutionary movements, wants to portray him wearing a marshal outfit. The offer comes from Mihri Hanım and there is a knock on Çankaya's door. This large painting of Mihri Hanım is the first portrait of Mustafa Kemal in a field marshal uniform.

Atatürk sent this portrait - along with a few paintings - to the Ankara Community Center on the opening days of the Community Centers and had the great hall decorated. However, there is an interesting story about how this valuable painting was taken from the Community Center and sent abroad.

Atatürk "Peace at Home, Peace in the World"while realizing his ideal - at that time defined as a powder keg - he sowed the seeds of peace in the Balkans. He led the establishment of the "Balkan Union". King Alexandre of Yugoslavia showed the greatest interest in this organization. King Alexandre of Yugoslavia, who was described by Atatürk as a great statesman, signed a large portrait and sent it to Atatürk. While Atatürk was going to respond to this, King Alexandre was assassinated in Marseille during his official visit to France. He was killed by a Macedonian. Atatürk was deeply saddened by the incident. He even considered the declaration of mobilization in Turkey, in case of a disturbance in the Balkans. Fortunately, the calm continued in the Balkans, the unity was not broken. The death of Alexandre did not affect the friendship between Turkey and Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia always showed its sincerity as a loyal friend of Turkey. In the following years, it was planned that Prime Minister İsmet İnönü would make a friendship visit to this country. Atatürk sent the portrait of Mihri Hanım, in marshal uniform, to Belgrade with İnönü to respond to the portrait that King Alexandre had once sent to him. He had Alexandre's portrait put in place of this empty portrait in the Community Center Hall.

MİHRİ MÜŞFİK  (1886, Istanbul - New York, 1954)

He was born in Istanbul in 1886 and died in the USA in 1954.

His lineage comes from the 1300-year-old Turkish Kingdom of Aphasia. In 1800, he entered the Ottoman Palace with his father. She is the first Turkish woman painter. She started her education in Istanbul and continued in Rome and Paris.

The artist, who made the first portrait of the Pope and Atatürk, is the first female teacher in the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts for Girls. She took painting lessons from Fausto Zonaro and then attended private workshops and art schools in Rome and Paris. In 1914, Inas (girl) was appointed as the director of Sanayi-i Nefise. The artist, who later settled in the USA, participated in international exhibitions 1938-1939-1943. Although it is known that he died in the USA, his date of death is uncertain.

Artist Mihri Müşfik has works in the French Louvre Museum and Sakıp Sabancı museums.

He died alone in misery in New York in 1954.

The Istanbul Women Painters Association established an association on behalf of the artist and published a book on her behalf so that the name of the artist Mihri Müşfik, which had sunk into oblivion, would be brought to the agenda again. They aim to convey the artist, who is the symbol of women's power and the first of many things, to future generations.

Source:  www.turkishpaintings.com