Chilling Photographs of Summer Tourists on the Acropolis in Athens in the Early 1980s – Design You Trust

Chilling Photographs of Summer Tourists on the Acropolis in Athens in the Early 1980s

1
Tod Papageorge

In 1983–84, American photographer Tod Papageorge spent a month each summer on the Acropolis in Athens, capturing the people who followed the same path, finding their way up to the ancient building to see what all the fuss was about and take photographs to prove they’d been there. His resulting body of work seems lost in time, fusing the ancient with the modern.

h/t: vintag.es, guardian

2
Tod Papageorge

“I wanted to capture the high, white light of the Acropolis and the bright stone of its schist and monuments,” said Papageorge. “I stayed at a nice hotel, the Zafolia, five minutes from the Acropolis, where every surface in my room was marble, and where I did laps in the pool everyevening, driving the hotel staff crazy.”

3
Tod Papageorge

“I took the photographs in the summers of 1983 and 1984, during intense sunshine and heat. Since we are at the far end of the tonal scale, postures and gestures become very clearly differentiated. They looked to me like a pair of figures on a Greek vase, arranged in a symmetrical fashion.”

4
Tod Papageorge

“Athena’s mythical home set me buzzing every time I visited, thrilled to be approaching the glorious place. Who could have known, in 1984, how the haircuts and clothes of the day would, 35 years later, appear both timeless and current? That’s a gift of photography. A dance-like moment on the exterior wall of the Acropolis, above a row of lights used to illuminate the Parthenon at night. Many of my pictures echo the dramas of Greek myth –always physical and often verging on violence – even as they capture the routines and rhythms of visitors.”

5
Tod Papageorge

6
Tod Papageorge

7
Tod Papageorge

8
Tod Papageorge

9
Tod Papageorge

10
Tod Papageorge

11
Tod Papageorge

12
Tod Papageorge

13
Tod Papageorge

14
Tod Papageorge

15
Tod Papageorge

16
Tod Papageorge

17
Tod Papageorge

18
Tod Papageorge

19
Tod Papageorge

20
Tod Papageorge

21
Tod Papageorge

22
Tod Papageorge

23
Tod Papageorge

24
Tod Papageorge

25
Tod Papageorge

26
Tod Papageorge

27
Tod Papageorge

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Instagram Model Crafts Incredibly Detailed Photo Shoot Sets That She Later Uses To Take Self-Portraits
Stunning Photos of Elvis Presley’s 1960 Luxury Gold Cadillac
2016 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Winners
Cool Photos of Teenage Girls in the 1970s
Photographer Captures a Dark Carnival Themed Photoshoot to Create Couture Clowns in Abandoned Creepy Nature
Hilarious Photos Of Chinese Grandmother Posing Like A Model
Photo of the Day: The Annual Muscle Beach Championship
Mesmerizing and Haunting: The Surreal and Stunning Artwork of Jaco Putker
London During the Blitz Through Powerful Color Photos
Nothern Silence: Faroe Islands Landscape Photography By Kevin Faingnaert
Stunning Winners Of The British Wildlife Photography Awards 2017
These Images Give A Rare Insight Into The Life Of A 19th Century Indian Maharajah
Before the Advent of Photoshop, People Used to Create Homemade Christmas Cards, 1930s-1960s
This Bride Took Her Own Wedding Photos, and Then They Went Viral
Lamborghini: Photography and Art Project by Vimal Chandran
Controversial Photos Inside The Homes Of Russia's Ultrarich Show The Country's Problem With Wealth Inequality
The Blinged-Out Work Trucks Of Japan Photographed By Todd Antony
Russian Soul In A Nutshell: Honest Photography By Dmitry Markov
Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment
Incredible Travel And Adventure Photography Of Sam Morrison
Photo of the Day: A High-voltage Job
Maggie Out: Striking And Depressive Photographs Captured Everyday Life In Glasgow In 1980
Winners Of The Visual Storytelling Contest By The Independent Photographer
Dressed In Love: A Photo Project Showing That Marriage Does Not Destroy Individuality, But Reinforces It