245.00€
An exceptional and historically significant identified cabinet photograph depicting Colonel Ioannis (Giannis) Papakyriazis together with his wife Ourania, photographed in Volos by the distinguished studio of D. Arafanidis.
Taken circa 1898–1905, the portrait shows Papakyriazis wearing his official Greek police uniform during the period in which he served as Director of Police of Volos (1898–1899), shortly after the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.
Originally an Infantry officer, Papakyriazis later resumed his military career, rising to the rank of Colonel and commanding the 4th Infantry Regiment. He was killed in action during the Battle of Kilkis–Lachanas (1913), one of the decisive engagements of the Second Balkan War, and is remembered among the distinguished Greek officers who fell during the Balkan campaigns.
His service and sacrifice were later commemorated by the naming of Papakyriazi Street in the city of Larissa.
The portrait also depicts his wife Ourania, who, as the spouse of the Director of Police of Volos and later of a senior army officer, belonged to the city’s prominent bourgeois society at the turn of the twentieth century.
Of particular importance is the original handwritten dedication on the reverse, which identifies both Giannis and Ourania Papakyriazis. Cabinet photographs of identified Greek military officers from this period are uncommon, while examples retaining contemporary inscriptions and secure identification are considerably scarcer.
The photograph was produced by the respected D. Arafanidis studio in Volos, one of the city’s notable photographic establishments during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
An attractive and well-documented historical portrait combining military, civic, and social history from an important period in modern Greece.
Object: Cabinet photograph
Subjects: Colonel Ioannis (Giannis) Papakyriazis and his wife Ourania
Photographer: D. Arafanidis
Place: Volos, Greece
Date: Circa 1898–1905
Process: Albumen print mounted on original photographer’s card
Language (reverse): Greek
Dimensions: 16.5 cm × 11 cm
Very good antique condition.
Original albumen print mounted on the photographer’s cabinet card. Excellent photographic contrast with sharp detail. The original studio mount remains well preserved, showing only light age-related wear. The reverse retains its contemporary handwritten dedication identifying the sitters. No significant damage or restoration.
Please examine the accompanying photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.
This photograph combines several highly desirable collecting attributes:
