Photography in Greece


The history of Photography in Greece began in the mid-19th century with European pioneers like Gaspard-Pierre-Gustave Joly using the daguerreotype method to capture Greek landscapes. The first Greek photographer was the painter Filippos Margaritis, who opened the first professional studio in Athens in 1853. The field developed significantly with portraitists like Petros Moraitis and, critically, the Swiss photographer Frédéric Boissonnas, whose extensive landscape work helped establish Greece's classical identity and promote the country as a tourist destination by visually linking its ancient past with its contemporary setting.

19th century photography

History

The History of Greek photography began with travellers from Canada and Europe to Greece.
Pierre Gustave Joly de Lotbiniere and Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey were among the examples of persons who came to Greece and took photographs of Greece in 1830s or 1840s.
In 1840s, Philibert Perraud, a French photographer, came to Greece and taught photography to Filippos Margaritis, who was said to be the first Greek photographer and who later opened the first Greek professional photo studio in 1853, in Athens.
In 1859, Greek photographer Petros Moraites opened his photo studio in Athens with Athanasios Kalfas. He took many portraits of many Greek people including the royal family and around 1870 became one of the most notable photographers in Greece at that time.
According to a guide book published in 1891, 27 photo studios existed in Greece.

Major photographers

The first half of 20th century

Major photographers

The second half of 20th century and 21st century

History

In 1952, the Greek Photographic Society was founded and in 1956 the First Panhellenic Exhibition of Photographic Art in Athens was organized.

Photographers

In order of year of birth

non-Greek photographers relating to Greece