A sea of flags displayed during celebrations marking the new Constitution of 1908 in Karakoy Square, in the Galata district of Constantinople, in the early 20th century. (Credit: Levantine Heritage Foundation archives)
Antoine Kope was born in Constantinople in 1897*, the second-youngest of six siblings. His mother was of Italian descent, and his father was Austro-Hungarian. At home, everyone spoke French. Shortly after he was born, his family moved to Thessaloniki for his father’s job with the Ottoman Railway Company. They were a typical Levantine household. But little Antoine had a passion. Almost every day, he kept a journal, one with a satirical edge. He spent his life documenting what he heard around him and saw in photographs, drawings, logbooks, and more.For decades, he wrote everything down, sketched landscapes, and captured even the smallest details, including the invention of the tricycle, the discovery of cinema, modern transportation, and the rise of nationalist tensions. He chronicled the bigger picture by recording small details. More...
Antoine Kope was born in Constantinople in 1897*, the second-youngest of six siblings. His mother was of Italian descent, and his father was Austro-Hungarian. At home, everyone spoke French. Shortly after he was born, his family moved to Thessaloniki for his father’s job with the Ottoman Railway Company. They were a typical Levantine household. But little Antoine had a passion. Almost every day, he kept a journal, one with a satirical edge. He spent his life documenting what he heard around him and saw in photographs, drawings, logbooks, and more.For decades, he wrote everything down, sketched landscapes, and captured even the smallest details, including the invention of the tricycle, the discovery of cinema, modern transportation, and the rise of nationalist tensions. He chronicled the bigger picture by recording small details. More...