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). The picture shows a man, a craftsman or merchant who specialises in making and selling baskets and sieves (for flour or grain). He is a typical representative of the urban or fairground craftsman of the 19th century. His clothing is typical of the lower classes of society in the mid-19th century. He wears a tall fur cap, a long coat or kaftan with a belt, narrow trousers, and slightly wrinkled boots that are comfortable for long walks. A young or middle-aged man, focused, with a serious or neutral expression on his face. He is depicted in motion – moving or just stopping, probably in a city or at a fair. He is a travelling merchant selling goods of his own production, which he carries on his person. On his shoulders and back is a huge number of items of various sizes, stacked one on top of the other. One stack of baskets is carried on his back, attached to his body with a strap, and another stack of sieves and screens is carried on his chest. In his right hand, which is lowered to the ground, he holds several more small funnels or sieves. The background features architectural elements of the city. In particular, the corner of a stone-masonry building is visible, along with stone structures behind it, which appear to be residential buildings, and a street. In other words, we are looking at a commercial or urban scene, not a rural environment. The graphic technique presents a clear, carefully executed outline with extensive detail. Particular attention is paid to the texture of the products; the structure of the rims, the mesh inside, and the craftsman's clothing, folds, shapes, and seams are rendered accurately and naturalistically. The character's face is clearly defined, but without detailed features. The composition is static, but the posture, leg position, and body balance convey movement. The drawing effectively conveys the typical figure of a 19th-century craftsman and merchant. Such images were common in the albums of travellers, ethnographers, and artists who documented folk life. 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