The rabbi of Kastoria

Leonidas Papazoglou (1872-1918)
Leonidas Papazoglou was born in Kastoria and apprenticed at a photography studio in Istanbul. Upon his return he became an itinerant photographer serving the needs of Kastoria town and its provinces, along with his brother Pantelis, until his premature death of Spanish flu in 1918. His powerful portraits, most often taken in open spaces with a portable backdrop, present the regional mosaic of ethnicities and religions at the turmoil of the first two decades of the twentieth century. They also offer valuable information for the traditional costumes of the various communities and the penetration of contemporary European customs, under the influence of the commercial routes. The print belongs to the MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography collection. The original glass plates, accordingly, to the George Golobias collection.