As I wondered what to pack on a trip to Istanbul, instead of looking at my own wardrobe, I could have been taking inspiration from this 1790s album of Turkish costume. This clown or harlequin with jerkin, breeches and tall cap with an animal's tail hanging down from the end cuts quite the look, complete with drum and drumstick.

It’s doubtful that this is exactly what one might have seen in Istanbul at the time. The European colonial collecting project, documenting the world in all its glorious colour, was prone to exaggerating what people at home wanted to see rather than what was really there, creating dangerous ideas and perpetuating myths and stereotypes. And so no, I will not be dressing like this. I’ll go as me and I’ll see what’s there today, but I won’t seek to recreate or appropriate that.

Image: British Museum