Alaya Family III

The photograph presents the large Greek Markoglou family—timber merchants from Alaya—in the early 20th century, probably shortly before 1922. The scene captures the typical manner of group portraiture of the time: the father standing, dressed in a European-style suit and tie, signalling social dignity and an alignment with the urban standards of Asia Minor; the mother seated, in a softly coloured dress with a necklace, holding the youngest child on her lap. Around them stand the older children, dressed in dresses and short jackets (zipounia), indicative of the everyday clothing of Greek families in the region.
Despite the photograph’s wear, the careful arrangement of the sitters before an improvised backdrop—common in small studios of Asia Minor coastal towns—remains visible. The image functions as a valuable document of family structure, dress culture, and the social character of the people of Alaya before the forced abandonment of their homeland in 1922.
Donated to the collection of the Alaya Association and exhibited at the ALAYA Cultural Centre by the granddaughter Chrysoula Markoglou.