ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to "amalgamate" the works of American five authors of travel volumes concerning Constantinople during the long nineteenth century (1789–1918). It discusses the backgrounds, expertise and general approach to the Orient of the five authors. The five authors attempts to amalgamate are Reverend Walter Colton, Dr. James Ellsworth De Kay, US Ambassador Samuel Sullivan Cox, Professor Edwin A. Grosvenor, and H. G. Dwight. Rev. Walter Colton (1797–1851) represents the quintessential Western travel writer. The chapter highlights several unique characteristics shared by the writers in terms of their backgrounds and experiences and how their works represent the variances of the intellectual milieu of their day. A comparison between Reverend Walter Colton and Dr. James De Kay illustrates the racial hierarchy of Ottoman subjects constructed by these American travelers. Both Americans were contemporaries and visited Constantinople within a year or two of each other.
