Filippos Margaritis (1810–1892) is generally acknowledged to have been the first Greek photographer, whose earliest daguerreotypes, of the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

of Athens, date from 1847. Having studied painting in lithography in Paris, he opened a studio in thensin 1837 and began teaching at the School of Fine Arts in 1842. He learned the techniques of the daguerreotypes from the French photographer

Philibert Perraud Philibert may refer to the following people: Forename * Saint Philibert, also known as Philibert of Jumièges (c. 608 – 685), French saint and abbot * Philibert de Naillac (died 1421), Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller * Philibert I, Duke ...

who arrived in Greece in 1847, and in turn passed on his knowledge to the students of Athens Polytechnic around 1850. Later, he moved on to producing

calotype Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low ...

s and

albumen print The albumen print, also called albumen silver print, was published in January 1847 by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, and was the first commercially exploitable method of producing a photographic print on a paper base from a negative. It ...

s on paper, including views of the antiquities of Athens as well as formal portraits of Athenian society including members of the courts of King Otto and his successor George I. He travelled abroad frequently, often to exhibit his work at international exhibitions and fairs. He died in his sister’s home in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the '' Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzbur ...

on 1 April 1892.

References

Bibliography

*Alkis Xanthakis, ''Filippos Margaritis'', Fotografos Editions, Athens 1990 (64 pp.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Margaritis, Filippos Greek educators Greek photographers 1810 births 1892 deaths Smyrniote Greeks