Black and white

A valuable source of information about the material and social life in Cyprus by the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, and particularly about the lifestyle of the elite of the island during the same period, is the manuscript account of the property of Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios, Dragoman of Cyprus for thirty years (1778/9-1809). It is written in a booklet 12,8 x 19,5 cm which is covered with red leather and comprises 31 sheets. There are 35 full or partly written pages. Hadjigeorgakis himself started to write this account on January 1st 1794 and describes it as:

“Inventory of my own house wherein

I describe my main sources of income

That I have acquired with the help of mighty God,

as well as any other property which belongs to me alone.

Hadjigeorgakis Dragoman” (fig. ..)

The handwriting of the Dragoman is recognizable in the first pages, while most other pages have been filled by his son Christodoulos, after Hadjigeorgakis’ execution in 1809. During the uprising of the year 1804, staged as a result of excessive taxation and shortage of foodstuff, Hadjigeorgakis escaped with his family to Constantinople. They took the valuable account with them abroad as it becomes apparent from later dates occasionally noted. The latest date is 1822.

In the manuscript the detailed record of the immovable property is followed by an inventory of precious jewels and other valuables, also dress items belonging to the Dragoman, his wife and children, as well as luxurious fabrics to be used for making garments.

The garments belonging to Maroudia, Hadjigeorgakis’ wife, comprise:

one salin kefalis lahourenon (Lahore woolen head shawl),

one tzouppen (Turk. cüppe = long overcoat) made of velvet, with its havlin (pin),

one pinisin (Turk. biniş = long cloak) made of purple broadcloth, felt, one foustanin lahourenon,  dress made of Lahore type fabric in white colour,

another pinisin salin kiortoum payiltim, which is a biniş (long cloak) made of excellent cashmere,

one cashmere cüppe in orange colour (tourountzin, Turk. turuncu), and three mandilia (scarves),

one dress made of Lahore woolen cloth in orange colour, another wide cüppe made of Lahore type woolen fabric, and one pinisin lahourenon kolymbaton (woolen wide biniş).           

Female dress items are also recorded in another page:

one cüppe and one anterin (Turk. entari = loose robe,) belonging to Argyri,

one foutas (Turk. futa = bath wrapper) in red colour, and one gold-embroidered mandilin (headscarf) kourouklenon (made of thin cloth, kouroukla).

The clothes of the eldest daughter, Mariora, were wrapped in a pogos (Turk. boğ = bundle).

As for the clothes of the Dragoman’s sons, only three kalpakia (Turk. kalpak), headdresses made of sable fur, are mentioned. One of them belonged to Michael and the other two to the eldest son, Christodoulos.

More numerous and precious were the dress items, mostly overcoats, which belonged to Hadjigeorgakis. They comprised:

three zostres, waist shawls made of woolen Lahore type cloth,

two kalpaks consisting of a red cap made of telâtin (Russian leather made of calfskin) surrounded by sable fur,

one tsaktzirin (Persian çakşır), broad pantaloons made of red woolen cloth,

one makrogounna, a long fur coat made from sintzapin (Turk. sincap = European squirrel) and lined on the outside with sofin (Turk. sof = cloth made with the hair of goats, mohair),

another makrogounna (long fur coat) nafe (Turk. nafe = fur from the belly of an animal, e.g. fox) with red kapin (cape),

a kontogounin (short fur coat) from samourin (sable),

one makrogounna samourin (long fur coat from sable) with kapin (cape) made of felt.

Apart from the above mentioned fur coats, which belonged to the Dragoman, another seven overcoats are recorded as follows:

one gounna kakkoumin (Turk. kakum = ermine, kakum kürk = ermine fur) with red kapin,

one kakoumogounna (ermine fur) with white kermesoutin (Turk. kermesüd, keremsud, germsüd), a cotton or silk  fabric made in Aleppo,

one makrogounna kakoumin (long ermine fur coat) with sofin, mohair fabric covering the fur on the outside,

another gounnan nafen (fur coat from the belly of an animal, probably fox),   

one kontogounnin milon, a short fur coat made, most probably, from the fur of fox’s shoulders,

one kontogounnin sintzapin, a short fur coat made from squirrel, and

one koritzan samourolemin, a short overcoat, made of fur from the neck of sable.

Apart from protection from the cold, fur coats, especially the expensive examples, had symbolic meanings; they reflected the status of dignitaries and the wealth of the upper classes.

Fabrics, mostly expensive textiles, are mentioned not only in connection with specific garments, but also separately, intended to be used for making garments:

Tzoha (Turk. çuha = broadcloth) is the most often recorded fabric, in various colours, white, morikon (Turk. mor = violet, purple), alikon, alkioulin (al = crimson colour, vermilion, flame scarlet, gül = rose). Broadcloth is also recorded as iglezikon (English), which, in those times, was three times more expensive than the common felt. In some cases broadcloth is mentioned as the material intended to be used for specific overcoats, e.g. tzouppellikin (Turk. cüppelık), cloth for making tzouppe, or pinislikin (Turk. binişlık) cloth for making pinisin (Turk. biniş).  Ahmeties (Turk. ahmediye) the richly ornamented old Turkish velvet, is mentioned once. A piece of the woolen fabric salin (Turk. şali = camlet) completes the list of fabrics. The above mentioned references indicate that the red colour, in different hues, had the greatest frequency in the garments of the Dragoman’s family.      

The photograph shows the young couple John and Bertha Papasian, with two children, their elder sons Eugene & Edgar. John is wearing a typical dark-coloured western-style suit, a white long-sleeved shirt and a tie. Bertha is wearing a sleeved dark-coloured dress with a high neckline and she has accessorised it with a brooch. The two children, despite their gender, are wearing dresses, as it was usual for youngsters of their age. The dresses differ in style, colour and decoration, but both are of special design, with most elaborate ornaments on the chest, the edges of the long sleeves and around the lower part of the wide skirts. The attire is complemented with dark socks and boots. The photograph is dated to 1886, and the scenery and decoration indicate that it was taken at a studio.

The photograph shows John and Bertha Papasian as an elderly couple. He is wearing a western-style long coat that covers most of his outfit, a white, high-collared shirt and a tie. Bertha is wearing a floor-length, long-sleeved elegant dress made from a dark-coloured fabric. In contrast to the simple skirt, the upper part of the dress has a high neckline and is richly decorated with an additional layer of transparent cloth (tulle?) with elaborate patterns in relief. Bertha’s coiffure is similar to that shown in other photographs, with her hair caught up. She is standing by the side of her husband who has his arm placed around her waist.

This photograph shows John Papasian, his wife Bertha and their five children: Jules, Eugene, Edgar, Elsie and Victoria. All of them are dressed in formal outfits. The men are wearing western-style suits made of a dark or black fabric, white, high-necked shirts and either ties or bow ties. The two young girls standing in front of their parents are wearing similar, long-sleeved, dark-coloured dresses with delicate narrow vertical pleats and a broad band of the same fabric encircling the waist and tied in front with a big bow. However, the dress of Victoria, the girl on the left, has a high neckline with a simple undecorated fabric extending to the shoulders and with a point down the front, whereas the dress of her little sister is adorned by a white lace collar dipping to a point down the chest and over each shoulder. Their hairstyle is also different, with the little girl’s hair decorated with a bow. Bertha is wearing a high-necked blouse with a dark ribbon tied in front, and a long-sleeved jacket made of a dark-coloured thick fabric with intricate patterns. She is wearing eye-glasses and has her hair caught up. The father is also wearing eye-glasses and has a beard and moustache. All members of the family look very serious. The photograph probably dates to c. 1905.

The photograph shows Marguerite, the wife of Edgar Papasian. She is standing in front of a big harp, playing it with her right hand. She is wearing an elegant evening dress, which accentuates her relatively corpulent figure. The dress seems to have an underskirt that extends down onto the floor. The highlight of this garment is its lavishly decorated upper part: it has a V-shaped neckline with a wide open décolleté, and long, narrow sleeves ending with frills; the upper arm is covered with another layer of fabric with elaborate designs, series of buttons and pleats. This decoration extends also on the chest and the back. Her rich hair is caught up to form an impressive coiffure.

The photograph shows Nevart Utidjian (1895-1976) standing in front of a train. She is wearing a floor-length skirt with many folds, made from a dark, heavy looking material. She is also wearing a white, long-sleeved blouse with puffed sleeves and a high collar. Encircling her waist is a wide belt, and on her head an impressive large-brimmed and richly decorated hat. Her hair is worn high on top. In her right hand she is holding a light parasol and in the left several papers and a leather bag. The whole appearance is typical of the fashion of the 1930s.

This photograph shows Nevart Utidjian (1895-1976). Her outfit is made from a bright white, patterned fabric. The skirt is simple and ankle-length, while the top part is more elaborate with a high neckline and long sleeves. She is also wearing dark tights and black shoes with low heels, as well as a brooch and a thin headband. Nevart is sitting in front of an open piano with her right arm resting on it. The furniture (Viennese chairs, carpets) and interior decoration indicate that the house belonged to an intellectual, rich urban family.

The photograph shows 11 persons, members of the extended Papasian family, standing in front of the door and the open window of a neoclassical house. The three men in the background are all wearing western-style suits, white shirts and a tie. The young women standing in front of them are wearing bright, light coloured dresses with ankle-length, wide flaring skirts and elaborate blouses with collars and elbow-length sleeves. Two of them are also wearing dark-coloured cravats extending over the chest. Although the way both men and women pose indicates that there are three couples on the right side, with two more young women standing on the left, the “couple” to the right of the photo are John Papasian and his daughter, Victoria, with the wife and mother Bertha sitting in front of them. What is of much interest in this photograph is the difference in colour palette between the women standing at the back and those sitting in the front. The three older ladies sitting in the front are all wearing dark-coloured dresses of different style, with longer, floor-length skirts, as it was appropriate for their age. The two of them seem to be wearing black elegant dresses with long sleeves, while the dress of the younger woman on the right side is lighter in colour and has a partly white elaborate top and elbow-length sleeves.

Photograph of the sisters Victoria and Elsie Papasian. Victoria (on the left) would later on move from Egypt to Cyprus to marry Hrant Utidjian. She is wearing a long dress with elbow length sleeves, which are decorated at the edges with intricate embroidery of successive triangular patterns. The dress is made of a dark, probably black cloth, with the exception of the high neckline, which is made of a different, white material and has a frilled top. Elsie is wearing a similar dress to Victoria’s, however the neckline is rounded off and decorated with embroidery, which is the same with that on Victoria’s sleeves. In Elsie’s dress the decoration of the neckline continues on the left side of the chest, where it is enriched with a voluminous white applique. The same embroidered patterns can also be seen around the edges of her sleeves. Elsie is also wearing an impressive necklace around her exposed neck, and a small brooch on the chest. Victoria has long hair falling on her shoulder, while Elsie’s hair is caught up. Despite similarities, the whole appearance and the hairstyle underline the different age of the two sisters.

Family photograph of an unknown Armenian family in Cyprus. The father and the oldest son are both wearing western-style suits with white shirts. The father is wearing a tie and a dark vest, whereas his son is wearing a bow tie and has a handkerchief in the pocket of his suit. The wife on the right is wearing a floor-length long-sleeved dress with drop waist. The dress is made of rather light-coloured material and seems to consist of different layers of fabric, as it is partly covered by black, patterned (embroidered?) tulle, on top of which there is a waist long extra layer of fabric that is gathered at the waist. This modern dress is combined with closed shoes and a short hairstyle. The daughter at the centre has long hair, which are decorated with a bow and fall on the chest in the form of plaits. Her outfit is mostly covered by her sibling standing in front of her; however, one can see that she is wearing a short cape over her shoulders. The youngest child in front is wearing a short, pleated white skirt and a darker shirt with short sleeves, also white socks and black shoes with one strap.