Maltese women through foreign eyes

Abstract

'Myself as others see me' is a favourite subject for school compositions, one which provides an endless source of fascination, greater indeed than that of the mirror. Whilst it is rarely easy to find out what others think of you personally, it is less difficult to find out what foreigners think of your country and your people. The testimony of travellers, past and present, especially if available in abundance, makes it possible to discover the nature and characteristics of the national image. A study of this evidence accumulated over a number of centuries should reveal what has changed and what has remained stable. Thus a study of what foreign visitors to Malta have said about Maltese women clearly shows that in some respects, such as in their fondness for scanty clothing, Maltese women of today are no worse than those of the 17th and 18th centuries. Many travellers, even those visiting Malta for a few days, have commented on the physical characteristics and manners of our women. A comprehensive collection of all they have written would be of considerable length, and would also be repetitious. I have chosen to select a number of extracts from travellers' accounts, some of them well-known, others much less, and have grouped them under three broad headings: physical characteristics; costume; character and manners. Within each group, the extracts will be placed in chronological order.