Object Description
This family photo features George and Despina Kremidas seated in front of three of their five chlidren. George is wearing his ceremonial outfit including his pleated shirt (ypodetes), waistcoat (phermeli), kilt (fustanella), and shoes (tsarouhia) that are housed in our collection. While it is more difficult to make out the details of Despina's outit because it is much darker, she could be wearing the black lace shawl that was also donated. The three children are not in traditional Greek attire but rather "global style." The two boys are wearing suits with vests and the girl is wearing a dress with a pinafore. The family appears to be posed outside on cobble stones before a stone building with a wooden door. At the bottom of the photo, just to the right of George's feet, appears to be the distorted image of a chicken who walked in front of the camera and was caught in motion.
Origin
A note from the donors (George's grandchildren, Angleliki's son and daughter in law) tells us that this is a professionally reproduced photograph not the original.
Since the two of the five children who left Greece (Angeliki to American and another sibling to Canada) the three behind their parents must be some combination of the remaining children: Basiliki, Constandinos, Ourania, or Basili. Based on the height of the children as an indicator of age the girl is most likely Basiliki (the oldest). The taller boy, the one to the far left, is probably Constandinos (the second oldest). Next in age order are Angeliki and Ourania however, since the remaining child in the photograph is male, Ourania is most likely the sibling who immigrated to Canada. This leaves the youngest of the siblings, Basili, as the child standing in the middle of his family.
George Kremidas and his wife Despina lived in the Greek village of Dessila, Greece. Dessila is a tiny village in the area of Messenia on the Peloponnese. Their daughter Angeliki, the third of five children, was the only member of the immediate family to immigrate to America. While living in New England, she married Nicholas Apostolos and subsequently gave birth to two sons: George and James. The family moved to Michigan and both sons served in the military during World War II. Afterwards both sons earned degrees from Worsham College of Mortuary Scieince in Chicago and opened a mortuary in Muskegon, Michigan together. James married Geraldine Pavlis. In 1960 the two left to visit his family in Greece, however, on the day of their departure George Kremidas (James' grandfather) passed away at the age of 98. The personal artifacts included in this accession were given to the Apostles during this trip.
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