Αθήνα και ελληνικές αρχαιότητες, 1853-1854 / Athens and grecian antiquities, 1853-1854

This is the catalogue for the photography exhibition of the same name that was presented in November 1998 at the Museum of Cycladic Art. This book contains 44 photographs by the distinguished photographer and traveller James Robertson, donated by Rena Andreadi to the Photographic Archive of the Benaki Museum. In terms of themes, Robertson followed the standard itinerary of 19th-century photographers. With his camera he immortalised the monuments on the Acropolis and in the lower town. Contemporary Athens is depicted either in the middle distance or as the background to the antiquities. His romantic view is characterised by the strong human presence that diverts attention from the monotony of the ruins and alludes to similar views in the engravings of the period.

Translation: John Leatham