[Κερκυραϊκαί ενδυμασίαι = Costumes de Corfu, Corfu, Aspiotis Press.]

The graphic arts factory Aspioti - ELKA was one of the most important printing and publishing houses of Greece. In 1873 Gerasimos Aspiotis founded the playing cards factory “Elpis” in Corfu. In 1902 Konstantinos Aspiotis, son of the founder, took over the company. The business thenceforth expanded and the company printed shares, lottery tickets, correspondence paper, envelopes, postcards, posters etc. In 1928 the business merged with another graphic arts emterprise, the Etaireia Lithografias and Kytopoiias of Athens (ELKA).

After the company premises were bombed by the Italian air force in World War II, the print shop was transferred to Athens. Today the archives of the Company belong to the National Bank of Greece. They include a series of samples of the house's work such as drawings, engravings, posters, models, drafts, printed architectural and urbanistic plans, lithograph and glass plates, diaries, photographs, postcards, albums, sets of cards, maps etc.

ASPIOTI-ELKA editions produced a series of very polished albums, in their majority related to Corfu. The albums include plates, drawings and photographs by eminent artists, which show the natural landscapes, monuments, sights and inhabitants of the island.

The present album includes both plates of people of Corfu in their local costumes, and photographs, most of which show the inhabitants engaged in agricultural tasks.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou

• Costumes de Corfu