Jean-Gabriel Eynard

Jean -Gabriel Eynard ( born December 28, 1775 in Lyon, † February 5, 1863 in Geneva; Greek Ιωάννης - Γαβριήλ Εϋνάρδος: Ioannis Gavriil Eynardos ) was a Swiss banker, Philhellene and photographer of the avant-garde.

Biography

Eynard was born on 28 December 1775 in Lyon. Already in 1686 his family had been taken to the nobility district of Geneva. He settled in Genoa and was General tobacco tenants of the Kingdom of Etruria and private consultant to the Queen of Etruria and the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. In 1819 he returned very wealthy back to Geneva. In 1814 he participated in the Congress of Vienna, where he met Count Kapodistrias, with him since then shared a friendship. From then on he became involved as Philhellene and after Kapodistrias death, he was instrumental in the 1841 saw the foundation and structure of the National Bank of Greece. This served until 1928 as a state bank. The bank ran into trouble in 1847, existed as English bankers on the early repayment of a loan in order to extort benefits. Eynard then paid 500,000 gold francs from his privy purse. Since 1839 he also occupied himself with photography and introduced the daguerreotype in Switzerland.

Commemoration

The main building and the Foundation of the National Bank of Greece bear his name, as is a street in Athens named after him. In townhouse in Geneva (formerly Palais Eynard ) and the National Garden in Athens a bust of Eynard is ever placed. His photographic estate is located in the Swiss National Museum in Zurich.