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NIKOLAOS BIRKOS (Greece, Patras 1854-1924 / act: Athens) |
Nikolaos Birkos with two compatriot photographers from Patras opened in 1895 a photographic studio under the name "The Parthenon", at 37 Stadiou Street. Birkos however, prolific as he was, opened yet another studio in Piraeus in collaboration with Eustace Boucas. In 1896 Birkos transferred his studio at 178 Aeolou Street and in his ad he announced that: "the great photostudio of Nikolaos Birkos THE PARTHENON recently enriched with the newest and most perfect tools and transferred to 178 Aeolou Street opposite the large Melas residence and next to the National Bank, undertakes to create life size photographs many samples of which can be found at the studio's entry at the price of 20 drach. - MARVEL OF RESPONSIBILTY AND ARTISTRY. Who will not acquire such photograph with such artistic work and at the cheap sum of 20 drach.". Later he achieved first to deliver ready a photograph within 10 minutes from the shoot. He then republished the same ad, only that this time the size was double and instead of one hour he wrote "within ten minutes...". In the ad's center he set his own portrait deformed by concave mirrors in four positions.An other attribute of Birkos, not widely known until today, was that of painter. His photographic studio was maintained up to 1908, at which point he was forced to close for unanticipated reasons.
[Alkis X. Xanthakis 2008, p.175 / translated by Megakles Rogakos]
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
XANTHAKIS, ALKIS X. History of Greek Photography 1839-1960 1994 Kastaniotis Editions, Athens, p.120 [Greek]
XANTHAKIS, ALKIS X. Nikolaos Birkos: The "Connaisseur" of Greek Photography 11-12/1994 Opticon #29, Athens, p.36-41 [Greek]
XANTHAKIS, ALKIS X. History of Greek Photography 1839-1970 2008 Papyros Publishing Company, Athens, p.175 [Greek]
