Abstract This article is concerned with the question of how electricity was introduced into the home in Turkey during a period when electrification of the country ran in parallel with the establishment of the new republic. Republican discourses of modernization and progress attributed electricity a symbolic transformative power. Yet, the robust power of electricity had to be domesticated before it was introduced into the homes to comply with the ideal of modern home. Visual representations of electricity constituted a crucial step in this process of domestication. To figure out the visual strategies of domestication the study focuses on the representations of electricity produced by prominent mediators of domestic electricity during the period. These include the bi-monthly publication of İstanbul’s electric provider Société Anonyme d’Installations Eléctriques (SATIE) named Ameli Elektrik and prominent women’s and family magazines of the period, which are Yedigün and Ev-İş. Dwelling on advertisement images, cover illustrations and promotional pieces, this article identifies two main visual strategies of domestication, namely mythification and anthropomorphization. Throughout the text it is argued that visual representations of electricity for residential users undermined the quasi-neutral definition of electricity as a modern power and rather worked to frame electricity as a means of distinction and pictured a pretentious modernity.

中文翻译：

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公主与女仆：土耳其共和国早期的电力驯化

摘要 本文关注的是在国家电气化与新共和国建立并行的时期，电力如何被引入土耳其家庭的问题。共和党关于现代化和进步的论述将电视为一种象征性的变革力量。然而，强大的电力在被引入家庭之前必须经过驯化，以符合现代家庭的理想。电的视觉表现构成了驯化过程中的关键一步。为了弄清楚驯化的视觉策略，该研究侧重于该时期国内电力的主要中介所产生的电力的表现。其中包括伊斯坦布尔电力供应商 Société Anonyme d'Installations Eléctriques (SATIE) 的双月刊 Ameli Elektrik 以及当时著名的女性和家庭杂志 Yedigün 和 Ev-İş。本文针对广告图像、封面插图和宣传片，确定了驯化的两种主要视觉策略，即神话化和拟人化。在整篇文章中，人们认为住宅用户的电力视觉表现破坏了电力作为现代电力的准中性定义，而是努力将电力构建为一种区分手段，并描绘了一种自命不凡的现代性。本文针对广告图像、封面插图和宣传片，确定了驯化的两种主要视觉策略，即神话化和拟人化。在整篇文章中，人们认为住宅用户的电力视觉表现破坏了电力作为现代电力的准中性定义，而是努力将电力构建为一种区分手段，并描绘了一种自命不凡的现代性。本文针对广告图像、封面插图和宣传片，确定了驯化的两种主要视觉策略，即神话化和拟人化。在整篇文章中，人们认为住宅用户的电力视觉表现破坏了电力作为现代电力的准中性定义，而是努力将电力构建为一种区分手段，并描绘了一种自命不凡的现代性。