Dear friends,
On behalf of a friend (who isn’t familiar with computers), I’m attaching the photograph. It was taken around 1880 in Markopoulo. The second person from the left was called Dritsas (my great-grandfather). Does anyone have any information about this particular photograph?
Thank you
She looks familiar to me. Isn’t she the one hanging in a café in Syra?
Mr Google says:
“A version of this photograph is displayed at the historic tavern «O Lilīs» in Ano Syros, which is inextricably linked with Markos Vamvakaris.”
And on a book cover.
If anyone has this book, have a look and see whether there might be a comment.
Isn’t this the photograph depicting old bouzouki players on Syros? If I remember correctly, one of them has even been identified as Treisimisis and the other as Stravogiorgos. (I don’t have Markos’s biography in front of me, which describes them, so I may be getting the names wrong.)
Vasilis, are you sure it’s in Markopoulo? Because if so, it has been incorrectly catalogued by various researchers.
I have the book, but I can’t find anything saying what the photo on the cover is.
On the back “flap” (inside flap) of the book
Gauntlett–Vlisidis, it says::
COVER PHOTOGRAPH:
Musicians from Syros in the early 20th century with tzivouria and a clarinet.
The photograph was found by the author in a café on the uphill road of Syros in the summer of 1972, when he was told by the patrons that one of the tzivouri players pictured was called Maoutsos, while the singer in between them (standing) was called Antouyas.
Thank you very much for your prompt and informative replies. After making some enquiries, I found out that Dritsas (second from the left) was from Markopoulo, Attica, though I have no further information at present. The relative who originally had the photograph lives abroad, making communication difficult. If I find out anything else, I will post an update.
I have the book too. It does indeed say the following on the back endpaper:
Cover photograph:
Musicians from Syros in the early 20th century, with tzivouria and a clarinet. The photograph was discovered by the author in a coffeehouse on the uphill road in Syros in the summer of 1972, when he learnt from the patrons that one of the tzivouri players pictured was called Maoutsos (cf. Vamvakaris 1973, pp. 106, 262), while the singer standing between them was called Antouyas. The photograph was copied in 1976 and kindly given to the author by his former student, Joan Coates, and her late husband, Tom.
Wonder, wonder! Now it says it on mine too! The title clearly says “COVER PHOTOGRAPH” in capital letters, and at that particular spot (the flap of the back cover) there is nothing else apart from this text.
A few hours ago, I’m sure it wasn’t there…
In any case, if there is a relative of Dritsas from Markopoulo who also has the photograph and insists that the second one, with sideburns, is Dritsas, and given that Gkontlet does not specify which of the three with sideburns is Maoutsas, both things could quite easily be true.
The two in the middle are wearing the same clothes, which (though I’m no expert) seem suitable for a Cycladic island. The one on the far right, who is holding the tzivouri and isn’t playing, could perhaps be wearing a costume from somewhere else.
Because I asked again, the relative identified the middle one (the one with the beard) as their great-grandfather (Dritsas from Markopoulo).
So it’s the same person all along, right? Nothing has changed.
