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and kept them in place. That has been good. Mykonos has a monastery outside of the main town. It was in fact at the
been saved beyond anyone’s ability to imagine. It has been monastery of Saint Panteleimon in Marathi but for years
saved beyond recognition. I thought it was in Ano Mera. The only explanation I can
Chora was a place in 1955 that had evolved for the pleasure, offer is that perhaps instead of walking to Marathi I took
economic viability, convenience and edification of its a bus, and that bus might have been labeled “Ano Mera
inhabitants. This beautiful place was not built like a new Monastery”- as was in fact the bus of the period. The roll of
fake ‘Paris’ or ‘Venice’ in Las Vegas to lure tourists. It was film I took is one of my favorites. You will see most of the
conceived and executed by and for its own inhabitants, for its 12 exposures in this book.
working people, for its mothers, for the elderly as well as its We know that inspiration is an important ingredient of
children. The mills were for milling. The streets were narrow photography. In this case there was double inspiration: a
and complex for protection. The churches were the objects saint’s name day festival and a baptism wrapped into one.
of faith, of hope, of salvation at sea. It was an authentic and There was an added ingredient as well, a liquid ingredient.
admirable civilization, perfect in its way to serve its residents. The priest and host for the occasion was Vassilis Athimaritis,
In the 1950s you took only real ships to Mykonos, often very an exceptionally kind and hospitable man, and he was
old ships. The sea-going high speed buses of today did not determined to make me feel at home (I was the only
exist. You could smell the sea and feel it. You transitioned to foreigner present, although mysteriously the monastery was
shore not as part of a horde emerging from a dark cavernous flying an American flag when I arrived.) Father Vassilis was
garage but by leaping into a bobbing tender and gripping continuously handing me full glasses of wine! Luck was also
a gunwale for dear life as the meltemi’s wild sea spray hit a factor that day. I often think that if I had had 8 models for a
your face. Who could have guessed that tenders would soon day and took 1,000 exposures, I would not have captured the
be replaced by docks and docks would soon be replaced by dancers. It was the only shot of dancing from the roll. It is one
ferry ports and that airports would be built and a huge cruise of my favorite photographs.
Exclusive excerpts from Robert MacCabe’s «Mykonos 1955-1957: Portrait of a vanished era»
ship harbor would be constructed and that the island would I have returned to Mykonos many times over the past 60 years
become a super prime tourist and second home destination to attend weddings, to see our friend George Derpapas, and to
for Greece and even for the world. show visitors to Greece around the island. (...)
First edition: Patakis Publications, 2018, (English edition: Abbeville Press, 2019)
What happened to the caiques, those magnificent wooden The wonderful thing about photography is that it provides a
boats that flourished in Mykonos and whose roots went back true historic document of a scene or activity and at the same
millennia? You will see them in these photographs but you will time offers the photographer an opportunity to present some
not see them on the island anymore. They were a source of interesting or artistic elements in a surprising or fresh way.
wealth, providing trade and transportation. They were the link It is sad that this year’s two million visitors cannot have the
with other island civilizations in the Aegean. What happened? experience of Mykonos in 1955, the experience of an ancient
Well the EU decided they should be destroyed! Anyone who authentic Aegean civilization. Fortunately we have Chora
has witnessed the destruction of a beautiful handmade caique with its architecture fundamentally intact. This is a treasure
constructed lovingly by family craftsmen in the Greek islands of incalculable value. If these photos can help a visitor or a
has to feel they are witnessing an assassination. grandchild of the island relive or imagine some small aspect of
When I look at my photographs today, I feel like an the island’s earlier life I will be happy”.
archaeologist might feel when she or he has uncovered some
carefully wrought object from the past that illuminates
the history and mores and life and ethos of a long ago era.
The photos feel to me like precious relics. Our goal for this
book is to offer a record of just a few years in the history of
Mykonos - but extraordinarily important years because they
were the years when the island still maintained its ancient Robert A. McCabe
culture and traditions and economy. They were the years just Mykonos 1955-1957: Portrait of a
before tourism changed the face of the island forever. vanished era
I heard on that late July day in 1955 there was a festival at First edition: Patakis Publications, 2018
(English edition: Abbeville Press, 2019)

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