Patmos: View of the harbour from the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian

Department Archive
Collection BSA SPHS Image Collection
Reference No. BSA SPHS 01/2094.5554
Level Item
Description Glass negative, quarter plate size, a copy negative taken from a photographic print pasted on a SPHS index card.
Condition Black ink covers the sky to mask imperfections and/or dust.
Dimensions 10.5 x 8 cm
Place Skala Patmos
Nisos Pátmos
Dates 1903-1904
Donor/Creator Awdry, Mr Herbert
Scope and Content Part of a group of images donated by the Argonaut Camera Club, taken on excursions and cruises in Greece and Asia Minor. The original description in the SPHS register reads: "Patmos: general view from monastery".
Notes The image may come from an Easter cruise of the Hellenic Travellers Club on the S.Y. Argonaut. According to the Times account of the first "Argonaut" schoolmaster cruise in 1901 (April 26, 1901, p. 11), Patmos was not on the itinerary. Therefore, dates must be either 1903 or 1904 as there were no schoolmaster cruises in 1902. The SPHS index card shows an S indicating the availability of a slide and is just cropped on the right with the text above: "Patmos: general view from monastery". The image appears in the SPHS Slide Set by A.J. Toynbee (ca. 1924) Greek Life and the Greek Environment [later changed to The Geography of Greece], slide number 28.
Further information Hellenic Travellers Club
The Hellenic Travellers Club consisted of school teachers and others interested in educational cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean. Initiated by Henry Lunn, the club was formalised in 1905, but grew out of experimental cruises called Argonaut Cruises (after the steam yacht) - first in 1901 and then in 1903 and 1904. Annual spring cruises began in 1905, continued until the First World War and resumed in 1924 before finally halting with advent of the Second World War

Many of the passengers from 1901 onward were keen photographers - initially referred to as the Argonaut Camera Club - and a number of their images were donated to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies or made their way into private collections. The Hellenic Travellers Club produced annual proceedings which published many of the lectures given on board, illustrated with photographs from the tours. See: Harlan, D. 2018. "More than Armchair Travellers" ARGO 8: 19-21.
Reference 1904 JHS 24: Catalogue of Slides. xciii.SPHS 5554. Link to article
1913 JHS 33: Catalogue of Slides. 27.SPHS 5554. Link to article