University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries Special Collections and University ArchivesJoel Martin Halpern Papers, 1932-2009 (bulk: 1948-2008)
Skopje market scene
Item Information
- Title:
- Skopje market scene
- Description:
-
Diary excerpt: "On the other side of the [Vardar] river the city is the old city a combination of Turkish, Albanian, Gypsy, Greek, and Bulgarian minority groups living in their charmingly ramshackle quarters in narrow, twisting streets. They're all kinds of craftsmen including potters, opanke (sandal) makers, (opanci are made of rubber soles with leather straps and are not as nice as the Sumadijan ones). There are also jewelers and wood carvers. One shop owner lured me in, as I looked like a rich tourist. He turned out to be an 18 year old handsome boy, an Albanian Catholic, which is uncommon. His father had died and he had inherited the trade and the shop. When he saw that I was not interested in the loud, sparkly junk that was very popular with the Gypsies and other groups he carted out large, heavy pieces of old silver jewelry, big belt clasps, Albanian watch fobs of huge filigree balls, and heavy old rings. I explained that I couldn't pay for things like that and after some poking around, we found some things in my range for the people in the lakes regions of Prespa and Ohrid. The fish has always been a symbol of good luck and I got a segmented fish of copper, mounted on sort of gliders which the peasant women from there wear in their hair; I also picked out a tiny silver fish set with chips of black and white stones as scales, which the boy then made into a pin for me. I found two disks hand-scratched with Turkish characters made to be worn around the neck as amulets for good luck. They are called "mashalah" but we couldn't find an old man who could decipher the meaning of the inscriptions. That I got a silver medallion that matches the silver buttons I had made into earrings and the last piece was an old Turkish silver signet, three-sided and made like a charm to be worn on a chain. This entire collection cost us a sum of $3. Mom, Mother and Helen are invited to look it over and help themselves."
- Photographer:
- Halpern, Joel Martin
- Date:
-
[ca. May 1954]
- Format:
-
Photographs
- Genre:
-
Slides (photographs)
- Location:
- Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
- Collection (local):
-
Joel M. Halpern Papers
- Series:
- Series 8A. Slides
- Subjects:
-
Cities and towns--Macedonia--Photographs
Bazaars (markets)--Macedonia--Photographs
Streets--Macedonia--Photographs
Street vendors--Macedonia--Photographs
Jewelry--Macedonia--Photographs
- Places:
-
Macedonia
Yugoslavia
- Extent:
- 1 slide ; 5 x 5 cm
- Link to Item:
- https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mufs001-xn-i0281
- Terms of Use:
-
All rights for this image are held by Joel M. Halpern. Requests to publish, redistribute, or replicate this material should be addressed to Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
Contact host institution for more information.
- Identifier:
-
mufs001-xn-i0281