026
Type:
various
Origin:
Asia Minor
‘Homeland is that small piece of land that draws us to it’.
‘Agios Polykarpos’ Brotherhood of Asia Minor Greeks of Chania, Donated by Mairi Meimaroglou-Markogiannaki

An early 20th century scrapbook

The ‘House of Asia Minor Greeks’ operates under the care of the ‘Agios Polykarpos’ Brotherhood of Asia Minor Greeks in Chania. It houses evidence and objects relating to the history of the Asia Minor refugees in Chania.

Young Evangelia Meimaroglou’s scrapbook was donated to the Brotherhood by Mairi Meimaroglou-Markogiannaki. Leafing through its pages, we can catch a glimpse of what a personalized scrapbook from the beginning of the 20th century looked like. It seems that Evangelia used to copy here the letters she received from friends and family, have her classmates and friends share their thoughts, and draw pictures she enjoyed.

The scrapbook travelled to Chania with the Meimaroglou family. Over the course of many years, some pages were torn out and the donor’s dedication was added to the first page. In other words, the scrapbook’s life continued even after it left Evangelia’s possession. Today, we can still read what one of Evangelia’s friends, Vrisiida Georgiadou, wrote on one of its pages: ‘Homeland is that small piece of land that draws us to it’.