History of Cypriot Photography 1839 -1939 The Story of a Century

The sources published on Cypriot photography trace the beginning of Cypriot photography in the year 1878 with Merdiruz Mathieu Papazian and John P. Foscolo as the first photographers. It is well- known that these sources are based on verbal information. However, from the moment these sources, regarding the origins of Cypriot photography, were put in writing, the accuracy of the information provided was accepted without further investigation. This led to the emergence of wrong memorizations and caused it to become a pattern used in every publication about Cypriot photography without any further questioning. Nowadays, the clarification regarding inaccuracies and inadequacies of sources that constitute the relevant memorization has been reached, and based on these findings, redefinition and re shaping of the beginnings of the history of Cypriot photography has been achieved. In this article, the first century of the history of Cypriot photography will be redefined. To do so, this period will be divided into phases each of which will be evaluated within itself through the new findings reached. Photographic evidence will be the primary medium in reaching certain conclusions which will further be enriched by written data. Thus, in the end, the evolution of Cypriot photography will be shared with the reader in chronological order.