History of Greek Photography

This is an initial approach to the history of the Hellenic Photographic Society (HPS). The HPS is the first amateur photographers’ association founded in Greece and has been operating continuously since 1952. According to its Statutes, the HPS aimed to promote the art of photography, to develop “the idea of tourism and the spirit of excursions,” as well as to take measures for the dissemination of photography in Greek society. Since its foundation, the HPS has maintained a close relationship with the press and has been actively involved in its history, while bringing together a large number of amateur artistic photographers from diverse professional and social backgrounds. The writing of its history seeks to engage with equivalent European examples, to present the vision it articulated in the 1950s, and to explore its role in shaping a Greek cultural identity through the promotion of the country’s touristic, urban, and archaeological imagery. The research will draw upon archival material from the HPS as well as the photographic work of its members. The project will focus on both the trajectory and the socio-professional stratification of a cultural non-profit association, and the processes through which a national cultural identity was constructed in postwar Greece.