RHOMAIDES,Ar. Panorama d'Athènes. Athens, Rhomaides Frères, 1890. Collotype, a diptych, mounted as a panorama, measuring together 28,5 x 98 cm. The grey photo backing board measures 47,5 x 119 cm. The print is signed in the right lower corner: 'Ar. Rhomaides'. In the left lower corner the title: 'Panorama d'Athènes'. (Note: At the left can be seen the building of 'The National Observatory of Athens', in the middle features the Temple of Theseus, and at the right, first the Old Royal Palace and then the Akropolis. The photograph was made by the Rhomaides Brothers ca. 1890. It provides a clear image of the city's structure at the time. § Interest in travelling to Greece has a long history, from the Roman times till today. The oldest existing Daguerrotypes of Greece were made in 1842 by the French artist and historian of Islamic architecture Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey'. (J. Hannavy, 'Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography', New York 2008, volume 1, p. 618) The English Reverend George Wilson Bridges is among the first to document photographically the city of Athens in 1848, also providing a panoramic view from the Acropolis. The Greek painter Philippos Margaritis opened in 1853 the first professional photographic studio in Athens. The Rhomaides Brothers were the first to systematically portray the architectural physiognomy of modern Athens. 'The Rhomaides Brothers (Konstantinos and Aristoteles) originally from Bucharest, opened a studio in Ioannina and subsequently settled in Patras. In 1875 they undertook the photographing of the excavations at Olympia carried out by the 'German Archaeological Institute'. This collaboration led to their specialising in archaeological photography, which is why they were employed almost exclusively by most of the archaeological schools operating in Greece at the time. They established themselves in Athens in 1876 while retaining, at the same time, their studio at Patras. The Rhomaides brothers also won fame as portrait photographers, recording for posterity many prominent people of their time'. (Idem, ibidem) . The Rhomaides Brothers worked also for the famous German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Photographs of his excavations were exhibited at the Paris 'Exposition Universelle' of 1878. § The panoramic view of Athens as recorded by the Rhomaides brothers was sold in different formats; the Getty Research Institue has a collotype of 56 x 20.9 cm and in 2007 the French auction house Piasa auctioned a triptych of the panorama, measuring 146 x 38 cm) (Condition: Some slight wear to the corners of the backing board) (Photographs on request)
Book number: 155471 Euro 800.00

Keywords: (Rare Books), Acropolis, Akropolis, Athen, Athens, Greece, Griechenland, Photographie, photography