The AFELIA series aims to present thematic sections from the PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE of ELIA-MIET. The selection of themes and photographs reflects the character of the collection, which spans from the mid-19th century to the late 20th century and is centered around family and personal archives.

From this treasure of everyday and ephemeral photography, all aspects of private or public life emerge, in other words, the life of a person. In her introduction, Eliana Chourmouzias notes that some of the photographs "belong to the photographer's own archive, others were found in family archives, and others were purchased from collectors. The selection was made primarily based on aesthetic or anthropological criteria, with the obvious aim of composing a guide as enjoyable as possible to the ways in which brides posed for the camera, almost from the first moment photography became accessible to the general public.

Between the oldest photograph, dating around 1870, and the most recent one, from the 1960s, there is about a century's gap. Their dispersion across the globe is impressive. Of the weddings for which we know the location, half took place outside Greece: Constantinople, Iconium, Alexandria, Cairo, Beirut, Nicosia, Paris, London, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon.

Most of the others occurred in Athens, while we have one wedding each from Thessaloniki, Kavala, Volos, Moudros of Lemnos, and an unidentified village in Macedonia. Finally, based on the available data, we get the impression that these photographs compose a social mosaic: popular layers, the entire spectrum of the bourgeoisie, personalities and politicians, even royals.

Typically, newlyweds stand in front of the camera wearing the seriousness with which they approach the prospect of married life as a mask. Beneath this mask lie the specific circumstances of each marriage union: the joys, the difficulties, the expectations, and the daily concerns that marriage will not resolve. These are essentially enigmatic photographs, as wedding photography documents and preserves a completely special moment in a person's life.

It is primarily the photography where we dress elegantly and set aside everyday life – the public image of a private event. Thus, it can only serve as a complementary element to the evidence for the historical context and everyday living.