Collection of Ethnographic Drawings

Kajetan Wincenty Kielisiński created numerous etchings and drawings devoted to folklore, life in Polish villages and towns, historical monuments, and landscapes. He was one of the first to develop bookplates in Poland. During his travels to various locations, he collected graphic materials for the publications "Polish Antiquities" and "Folk Costumes". In 1855, Poznań publisher Jan Konstanty Żupanski published "Kielisiński's Album", which collected the artist's scattered works. Kielisiński's graphic works, drawings, sketchbooks, and correspondence were kept in the Kórnik Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as in national museums (Kraków, Poznań, Warsaw) and renowned libraries (Jagiellonian University, Ossolineum, Warsaw University). Two men are depicted in traditional 19th-century peasant or townspeople's attire. Their clothing consists of long cloaks or caftans with belts, tall hats resembling karakul hats, and high boots. Each man has a towel or scarf tied around his shoulder. On the left, a man stands facing the viewer, smiling, and holding a branch or bouquet in his raised left hand. His right hand is tucked behind the towel or scarf tied around his shoulder at waist level. On the right, another man stands with his back to the viewer, slightly turned to the side, and extends his right hand, presumably to open the door in front of him. The figures stand on a wooden floor against the backdrop of a peasant's hut, with a door and window visible in the wall. The people depicted are likely to be participants in a holiday or ritual, given their unusual headdresses and bouquets. Since the drawing accurately reflects and conveys the details and features of the folk clothing of a particular region, it has significant ethnographic and historical-cultural value. Its artistic significance lies in the accurate and detailed reproduction of folk attire, making it a valuable source for research and study of traditional culture. From an aesthetic point of view, we are dealing with a realistic drawing, with a special emphasis on its documentary nature.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery