DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22262#0062
Maria Molenda, Marcin Sepiał
In response to these postulates, we examined Polish archives and museums in search
for Guild Books containing patterns. As the first phase, we wanted to access the
books already referenced in literaturę (Poznań, Wschowa, Przemyśl, Leszno,
Chwaliszewo) and additionally two recently discovered books from Opole. The task
seemed easy yet we came across imexpected difficulties, primarily the faulty meth-
odology of the previous authors, who failed to provide the location or reference
numbers of the books they discussed, save for the Poznań book. This is why today
we can only discuss the books from Poznań, Wschowa and Opole.
The Przemyśl book was first listed among the preserved books by Gutkowska-
Rychlewska5. Turnau initially followed the track yet later ceased to reference the book
without, however, saying why. Our search at the National Archives in Przemyśl and
the National Museum of the Przemyśl Region showed that in fact no pattern book
of the Przemyśl Tailors Guild ever existed. Gutkowska-Rychlewska must have relied
on Arłamowski's study of Przemyśl guilds (1933), in which he ąuoted a model of tai-
lors items noted down on a single card, without patterns6. This information was never
verified by subseąuent researchers.
No tracę of the book of the Tailors Guild in Chwaliszew has been found as yet. Soon
after World War II the book belonged to the Guild of Gentlemen's Tailors in
Poznań, and was then presented to the publisher of the tailoring and fashion maga-
zine 'Postęp Krawiecki'. There the trail ended: the book can be found neither in the
National Archives in Poznań (which took in all documents of the Tailors Guild,) nor
the Chamber of Arts and Crafts in Poznań, nor the Textile Guild in Poznań (suc-
cessor to the Tailors Guild). Possibly, it was transferred to Warsaw in the 1970s along
with the editors of'Postęp Krawiecki'.
We did not locate the Leszno book until a week before this presentation. It is held at
the District Museum in Leszno and we do hope to be able to view it soon. The day
before this conference, courtesy of Dr Przemysław Stańko of the National Archives in
Cracow, we found out about a Cieszyn book from the second half of the sixteenth cen-
tury, which had been referenced by Wiktor Kruger and Polaczkowa before.
The best known is the book of the Tailors Guild in Poznań7. Although it has been
often ąuoted and most of its patterns have been published, literaturę is still fuli of
misconceptions about it. Judging from the publication of J. Stankowa and I.
Turnau, there should be not one but at least four pattern books in Poznań, the oldest
dating back to the second half of the fifteenth century. In fact, there is only one
5 Gutkowska-Rychlewska, M., op. cit., p. 817; I. Turnau, Ubiór narodowy..., p. 412.
6 Arłamowski, K., Dzieje przemyskich cechów rzemieślniczych, Przemyśl 1933, pp. 157-8.
7 AP Poznań [National Archives in Poznań], 'Cechy miasta Poznania', Vol. 253, 11.
12-22.
60
In response to these postulates, we examined Polish archives and museums in search
for Guild Books containing patterns. As the first phase, we wanted to access the
books already referenced in literaturę (Poznań, Wschowa, Przemyśl, Leszno,
Chwaliszewo) and additionally two recently discovered books from Opole. The task
seemed easy yet we came across imexpected difficulties, primarily the faulty meth-
odology of the previous authors, who failed to provide the location or reference
numbers of the books they discussed, save for the Poznań book. This is why today
we can only discuss the books from Poznań, Wschowa and Opole.
The Przemyśl book was first listed among the preserved books by Gutkowska-
Rychlewska5. Turnau initially followed the track yet later ceased to reference the book
without, however, saying why. Our search at the National Archives in Przemyśl and
the National Museum of the Przemyśl Region showed that in fact no pattern book
of the Przemyśl Tailors Guild ever existed. Gutkowska-Rychlewska must have relied
on Arłamowski's study of Przemyśl guilds (1933), in which he ąuoted a model of tai-
lors items noted down on a single card, without patterns6. This information was never
verified by subseąuent researchers.
No tracę of the book of the Tailors Guild in Chwaliszew has been found as yet. Soon
after World War II the book belonged to the Guild of Gentlemen's Tailors in
Poznań, and was then presented to the publisher of the tailoring and fashion maga-
zine 'Postęp Krawiecki'. There the trail ended: the book can be found neither in the
National Archives in Poznań (which took in all documents of the Tailors Guild,) nor
the Chamber of Arts and Crafts in Poznań, nor the Textile Guild in Poznań (suc-
cessor to the Tailors Guild). Possibly, it was transferred to Warsaw in the 1970s along
with the editors of'Postęp Krawiecki'.
We did not locate the Leszno book until a week before this presentation. It is held at
the District Museum in Leszno and we do hope to be able to view it soon. The day
before this conference, courtesy of Dr Przemysław Stańko of the National Archives in
Cracow, we found out about a Cieszyn book from the second half of the sixteenth cen-
tury, which had been referenced by Wiktor Kruger and Polaczkowa before.
The best known is the book of the Tailors Guild in Poznań7. Although it has been
often ąuoted and most of its patterns have been published, literaturę is still fuli of
misconceptions about it. Judging from the publication of J. Stankowa and I.
Turnau, there should be not one but at least four pattern books in Poznań, the oldest
dating back to the second half of the fifteenth century. In fact, there is only one
5 Gutkowska-Rychlewska, M., op. cit., p. 817; I. Turnau, Ubiór narodowy..., p. 412.
6 Arłamowski, K., Dzieje przemyskich cechów rzemieślniczych, Przemyśl 1933, pp. 157-8.
7 AP Poznań [National Archives in Poznań], 'Cechy miasta Poznania', Vol. 253, 11.
12-22.
60