Object ID
F2013.8
Object Name
Flag
Date Created
1927 – 2000
Material
Cotton
Object Entities
Kokonis, Elias (is related to)
Kokonis, Eleni (is related to)
Object Description
Large cotton greek flag. Official flag with the blue and white colors stripped to make up 9 stripes and the cross in the upper left corner.
Origin
Found in collections
Elias Kokonis started an umbrella business in 1887 in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire (Turkey today). In May of 1919 during WWI and the Greek Occupation Elias started secretly making flags to support his heritage, and business started booming. By 1922 the Turks took back over control and Elias and his family were forced to flea with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Once settled in Athens, Greece Elias reopened his shop from scratch in 1927. Today his granddaughter Eleni Kokonis runs the shop and they sell trades flags, flagpoles, banners, trophies, medals, and umbrellas. They make over 200 different countries flags. (Notes from Despina Pavlaki reporter for Athens News, article date March 29,2010).
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Flag, 1927 – 2000, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/9591. Accessed 03/28/24.