Miltiadis Cacoulis (left) and Thrasyvoulos Cacoulis (right).
The Cacoulis brothers (Kyriakos, Miltiadis and Thrasyvoulos) were among the most well known photographers in Trabzon (formerly Trebizond) during the late 19th and early 20th century. They were the sons of hagiographer popa-Lefter. Their studio was located on one of the major roads in the city. The studio opened in the early 1870's by Kyriakos Cacoulis who worked alone until his brothers later joined him.
Miltiadis was born in Trabzon in 1872 and studied at the "Frontistirion." He later went to Paris to study photography. After graduating in Paris, he returned to Trabzon and began working in the family business. The business went by the name of "Cacoulis Brothers - Black Sea" (Αδελφοί Κακούλη - Μαύρη Θάλασσα). Earlier photos produced when Kyriakos worked alone carry the title "K. E. Cacoulis - Black Sea." The oldest preserved photo is dated 1873 and depicts the Metropolitan of Trebizond Constantius I.
Around 1890, Kyriakos Cacoulis was among a group of photographers officially commissioned by Sultan Abdul Hamid II to produce a set of photos that became known as the Abdülhamid II collection. The photos were intended for circulation around the world and depicted modern life in the Ottoman Empire.
Kyriakos died in Pontus after an illness while Miltiadis and Thrasyvoulos were expelled from the country. Some of their photographs passed into the hands of a Turkish military officer while two albums are currently housed in the National Historical Musuem of Greece. The first album contains 48 photographs which depict monuments and scenes of Trabzon, Samsun (Amisos), Giresun (Kerasunta) and Akçaabat (Platana). The second album contains 54 photos of numerous places in Pontus as well as traditional costumes.
After their expulsion from Pontus, the two remaining brothers found themselves in Athens where they continued to work in photography. Their work was highly regarded and they went on to become the personal photographers of Greek Prime MInister Nikolaos Plastiras.
Around 1940, Miltiadis stopped working after suffering from heart related problems. Thrasyvoulos passed away in 1942 while Miltiadis passed away in 1954.
Sources:
Encyclopedia of Pontian Hellenism, Malliaris Paedia 1998.
Νίκη Μαρκασιώτη. Εύξεινος Πόντος, Φωτογραφικό λεύκωμα των Αδελφών Κακούλη. Εθνικό Ιστορικό Μουσείο 2010.
Some of their photos
The shipyard along the seafront of Platana. Date: 1890's. Photo: Cacoulis brothers. Source
Girl from Pontos in traditional attire. Photo: Cacoulis brothers. Source: Ιστορική & Εθνολογική Εταιρεία της Ελλάδος. Source
Male costumes from the wider Pontos region. From left: Caucasian, Georgian and Laz male. Photo: Cacoulis Brothers. Source
The logo that appears on the back of a photo by K.E. Cacoulis.
Preparatory School, Trabzon. Photo: K.E. Cacoulis; Sebah & Joaillier, Constantinople. Date: Between 1888-1893. Forms part of: Abdul-Hamid II Collection (Library of Congress).
Photo by K.E. Cacoulis. Source
Photo by K.E. Cacoulis. Source
Couple standing. Cacouli Frères (Cacoulis Brothers), Trabzon. Source
Guzel Saray et le phare, Trebizonde. Photo: K.E. Cacoulis, 1895. Pierre de Gigord collection of photographs of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey. Series III. Source
Vue orientale de Trébizonde [Eastern view of Trebizond]. Photo: K.E. Cacoulis. 1895. Source
Souvenir de Trebizonde, Saint Sophie. Editeurs: Cacouli Freres, Photog. Trebis. No. 16.
Hagia Sophia. Photo: K.E. Cacoulis, 1889.