[Two autograph letters signed 'W. G. M. Edwards' adressed to 'Hasan Halet Isikpinar'].

Original two typewritten letters with autograph signed 'W. G. M. Edwards addressed to Hasan Halet Isikpinar. 23x15 cm. In English. 2 p. Some stains and tear on bottom. Texts: "My dear Hasan Halet, I wonder whether you could spare a few minutes of your time and come to see me Monday netween 11 and 12. I hope you are well and ssuccessfully busy. / Some weeks ago we spoke about an article you would write for the Chamber of Commerce Journal. Have you changed your mind? I would be glad to know whether you have begun the work on it and when you expect to send it to me. Sincerely yours, Signature.". Letterheads just phone number of its period and 'Arslanli Konak, Bebek-Istanbul' address. First letter's date is 18th October, second one is 11th November 1946. Edwards family was an English Levantine family who arrived in Constantinople after the Crimean war (1853). They had a Baker Shop in Pera. The baker shops were established by the English Baker family who arrived in Constantinople after the Crimean war (1853), and the English immigrant families of Edwards and Binns were also involved with these shops. These latter 2 families opened businesses in different sectors and neigbourhoods of Istanbul, however with time these businesses were either transferred to the Bakers or they merged through partnership with them. The founder of the Baker shops, George Baker was at that time already operating a substantial business in London. Soon after George Baker arrived in Istanbul, he formed a partnership with the Hayden family and together they opened two shops, one on the Grand Rue de Pera, at where Anadolu Han now stands, the other in nearby Galata, opposite Serdar Ekrem Street, on the corner looking out to the Galata tower. This partnership established in the 1860s remained firm till the end of the 1870s. With the end of this decade, Hayden and Baker went their own way, and Hayden retained these shops and Baker opened new retail outlets. One of these shops was again by the Galata tower, at Sahdegirmeni Street, and the other was next to the former Kanzuch pharmacy [Austrian run, in Pera?]. Soon after this first shop on the Grand Rue de Pera, George Baker opened his second shop where Sümerbank [central Pera, near the British Consulate] now stands. In these shops the Bakers sold a wide range of goods in including textiles, bedding, furniture and accessories. In addition to this they had by this time obtained the local representation of many foreign firms. A close friend of the Bakers, Cuthbert Evelyn Binns, became the manager of the Baker shops after WWI. The other English Levantine family of Edwards family firm, Edwards and Sons, merged with the G. & A. Baker company. At this time C.E. Binns was still the general manager, and W.G.M. Edwards continued his career as a member of the board of directors. Records show that between 1924-1925 W.G.M. Edwards continued his association with the local British Chamber of Commerce and in 1930 was elected as its president. (Source: Behzat Üsdiken with Levantineheritage translation). Hasan Halet Isikpinar, was a Turkish engineer and professor. He initially graduated from Robert College as an electrical engineer in 1916, being the first Turkish graduate of the engineering department. He advanced his studies to receive a degree of mechanical engineering from the same institution in 1922. After his assistantship in Robert College from 1923 to 1925, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology until 1928 and graduated as the first Turkish student of the university. He kept his tenure as a professor in Robert College in the department of engineering until 1934, where he contributed to the advancement of the department of electrical engineering to a significant extent. He led over 800 engineering projects in Turkey, majority of which being the first examples within the newly founded Turkish Republic. He was fluent in multiple languages including English, French, German and Italian, with his most notable works i