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). In the drawing, a full-length portrait of a man is shown wearing long outerwear, similar to a żupan or peasant's overcoat, belted at the waist. He wears a tall, characteristic fur hat, reminiscent of the headgear of 18th–19th-century peasants or townspeople. The man is wearing boots, with one hand in his pocket and the other leaning on a stick or cane. The image depicted has the typical features of the traditional costume of that time. A simple bag, probably made of coarse fabric, hangs over his shoulder on a strap. His expression is weary, slightly sad, his gaze directed straight ahead. The drawing is executed in a restrained manner with attention to the details of clothing and fabric texture. The author sought to convey the figure's ethnographic type rather than the individual features of a specific person. The composition is simple: the man is depicted against a neutral background with lightly sketched natural details such as a bush, a stone, and the ground, which create context but do not distract attention from the figure. The work is primarily of ethnographic and historical significance, as it reflects the traditional costume of a particular era and social status. It serves as an important source for studying the folk clothing, everyday life, and appearance of people of past centuries. Its artistic value lies in the accuracy and expressiveness of the lines, the clarity of the composition, and its documentary authenticity. The style of the drawing testifies to the author's attempt to combine art with a thorough scientific description, making the image both aesthetic and informative.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery