Greek Revolution-Era Costumes Come Back to Life in Stunning Exhibition

The emblematic photoshoot of original Greek Revolution-era costumes which launched in 2021 at the National History Museum of Athens and then traveled to South Korea, can be viewed at the Acropolis Museum with free entry from Tuesday, December 20, 2022, until March 26, 2023.

The exhibition includes 70 historical costumes from the 19th century, from daily life and life in battle, worn by contemporary Greeks.

‘Raiment of the Soul’ is an initiative by the Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation. The Acropolis Museum presents the exhibition in collaboration with the National History Museum of Athens and is under the auspices of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Greek revolution costumes an ode to the beauty of traditional clothing

Most of the costumes used belong to the National History Museum of Athens and were loaned by the late Ioannis Mazarakis-Ainian, general secretary of the museum, to photographer Vangelis Kyris and embroidery specialist Anatoli Georgiev.

The impressive result, a tribute to the beauty and intricacy of Greek traditional clothing, highlights in a unique way the wealth and diversity that distinguishes it.

The photographs would have been presented to the public at the National Historical Museum on the occasion of 200 years after the Greek Independence War of 1821, but the coronavirus pandemic forced its postponement.

To honor this year’s centennial of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the exhibition has included costumes from Asia Minor.

The exhibit includes costumes that belonged to historic figures; local garments from mainland Greece, the Greek islands and Crete, Cyprus, and areas abroad where Greek communities flourished; costumes and garments relating to the heroes of the revolution of 1821; and eponymous and anonymous protagonists of the 18th and 19th centuries.