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

daguerreotypes Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photography, photographic process, widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwid ...

, 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. Born in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

to a family of

Epirote Epirus () is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay of Vlorë and the Acroceraunian Mountains in ...

origin, he studied painting and lithography in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and subsequently opened a studio in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

in 1837 and began teaching at the School of Fine Arts in 1842. He learned the techniques of the daguerreotypes from the French photographer François Perraud (not Philibert) 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 Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens, it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms aro ...

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 George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

. 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, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

on 1 April 1892.

References

Roberto Caccialanza, ''François Perraud. "Doyen des photographes"'', youcanprint self-publishing, 2023.
*Alkis Xanthakis, ''Filippos Margaritis'', Fotografos Editions, Athens 1990 (64 pp.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Margaritis, Filippos Greek educators Greek photographers 1810 births 1892 deaths Smyrniote Greeks