Philippos Margaritis, painter and the first Greek photographer, is born in Smyrni (present-day Izmir)
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Philippos Margaritis, painter and the first Greek photographer, is born in Smyrni (present-day Izmir)

In 1853 Philippos Margaritis (1810-1893) set up in his residence, on Klafthmonos Street, the first photographic shop in Athens. Originally from Epirus, Margaritis was born in Smyrni (present-day Izmir), but after the Revolution, the family moved first to Psara and eventually settled in Rome. In Rome, he studied painting, while his younger brother Georgios (1814-1885) studied painting and lithography in Paris. In 1837 Philippos settled in Athens, and together with his brother, they created a successful workshop on Ermou Street, where Georgios installed the first lithographic workshop of modern Greece.

Starting in the mid-1840s, Philippos Margaritis began his steady involvement in photography, initially working on portraits, while in 1847, he was taught the daguerreotype technique by the Frenchman Philibert Perraud. After that, photography became his primary occupation. He documented archaeological landscapes as well as prominent personalities of the time. His photographs were exhibited in Greece and abroad (at the Paris International Exhibition of 1855, where he exhibited the Athens monuments, at the London International Exhibition of 1862, etc.). Now, he is recognized, based on research, as the first Greek photographer.

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