DOI issue:
Nr. 2
DOI article:Jackiewicz, Danuta: The art of photography: portrait, landscape and reportage in Polish 19th century photography
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18940#0052
ftarely is it remembered that the very first publication on aesthetics in photogrphy was written by
a Polish photographer, Aleksander Ken, who worked first in Warsaw and subsequently in Paiis,
where in 1864 be published Dissertations historiąues, artistiąues et scientifiąues sur la photographie.
Following interesting observations on the role of the camera and of the artist in charge of photo-
graphy and chemical processing in creating a photographie image, Ken conchides that the result
of the photographer's endeavour deserves to be called a work of art.
For the first time in its history, the National Museum in Warsaw opened its halls to an exhi-
bition devoted to the history of photography (Fig. 1). The display featured Works by professional
19th century photographers amassed by the Department of Special Resources.7 Here there has
never been a separate photography collection, but rather together with drawings, prints and
various reproductions it performed a documentary role. Dispersed through various sections il-
lustrating respectively architecture, portrait, peasant types or genre scenes, it served merely
as an iconographic source. Until recently virtually unknown, for the first time it was investigated
from the point of view of the history of photography, and yielded results of tremendous signifi-
■cance for students of the history of photography and its collecting in the 19th century.8 Our
display presented three major themes in photography — portrait, views, and events — that is,
documentary photography. Arranged in chronological order, each group provided an opporunity
to tracę achievements in this new field of art throughout the 19th century and realize how im-
portant a role photography performed in contemporary national and social life. The photographs
came from Polish studios in Warsaw, Cracow, Vilna, Lvov, Zamość, Kamieniec Podolski, Poznań,
as well as those further afield, in Paris, Brussels, Oslo and as far as Vitebsk, Odessa, Irkutsk and
Port Said. They represented various techniques: the daguerreotype, Talbotype (calotype), wet
collodion and bromide gelatin processes, and dated from between c. 1845 and c. 1900. We did
not go any further because the late 19th century brought in its wake such new developments as
amateur photography9, the emergence of the professional press10 and introduction of special
techniąues11, all of which put professional photography in a completely new situation and chan-
ged its aspect. The term „artistic photography", which in the 19th century was applied to pro-
fessional photography and featured on each studio's cardboard prints next to emblems symboli-
zing the fine arts and representations of mcdals won at international competitions, %vould later
be associated almost exe!usively with amateur photography.
Portraiture was the favourite medium from the very beginning (Figs. 2—3). The enormous
popularity of studio portraits was caused by generał demand for cheap likenesses — in the case
of Poland it was particularly high due to the current political situation. Following anti-tsarist
demonstrations in 1861 and the national uprising of 1863, portraits of participants and heroes
of these events began to be mass-produced and widcly distributed. All those who abandoned
their homes to take part in the insurrection left their likenesses to their families, fiancees and
friends. Each Polish family cherished photographs of men in insurgent uniforms and women in
Mack dresses symbolizing national mourning after hopes of recovering independence were dashed.
Many of these portraits carried on their backs descriptions of the suffering the people represented
"went through. Thus such pictures are substitutes for non-existent photographs of events. They
In the exhibition, the c jllection of the National Museum in Warsaw was supplemenled with daguerreotypes and photo-
graphs from priyate owners and other muscums in Poland.
Danuta Jackiewicz, ,,Zbiory fotograficzne Działu Dokumentacji Naukowej Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie", in:
Fotografia, 1984, no. 4, pp. 42—45; Danuta Jackiewicz,,,Die Fotosammlungim Nationalmuseum Warschau", in: Foto-
grafie (Lcipzig), 1988, nr. I, pp. 2—3.
The firstPolish association of amateur photographers, the Club of Enthusiasts of the Art of Photography, was formed in
Lvov in 1891.
In 1895 there appeared in Lvov Przegląd Fotograficzny, the first Polish monthly dealingwith photography.
These printing techniques, aimed at producing painterly or graphic effeets, included gum, bichromate gum plalinum, trans-
fer, pigment, photogiavurc and bronici!.
41
a Polish photographer, Aleksander Ken, who worked first in Warsaw and subsequently in Paiis,
where in 1864 be published Dissertations historiąues, artistiąues et scientifiąues sur la photographie.
Following interesting observations on the role of the camera and of the artist in charge of photo-
graphy and chemical processing in creating a photographie image, Ken conchides that the result
of the photographer's endeavour deserves to be called a work of art.
For the first time in its history, the National Museum in Warsaw opened its halls to an exhi-
bition devoted to the history of photography (Fig. 1). The display featured Works by professional
19th century photographers amassed by the Department of Special Resources.7 Here there has
never been a separate photography collection, but rather together with drawings, prints and
various reproductions it performed a documentary role. Dispersed through various sections il-
lustrating respectively architecture, portrait, peasant types or genre scenes, it served merely
as an iconographic source. Until recently virtually unknown, for the first time it was investigated
from the point of view of the history of photography, and yielded results of tremendous signifi-
■cance for students of the history of photography and its collecting in the 19th century.8 Our
display presented three major themes in photography — portrait, views, and events — that is,
documentary photography. Arranged in chronological order, each group provided an opporunity
to tracę achievements in this new field of art throughout the 19th century and realize how im-
portant a role photography performed in contemporary national and social life. The photographs
came from Polish studios in Warsaw, Cracow, Vilna, Lvov, Zamość, Kamieniec Podolski, Poznań,
as well as those further afield, in Paris, Brussels, Oslo and as far as Vitebsk, Odessa, Irkutsk and
Port Said. They represented various techniques: the daguerreotype, Talbotype (calotype), wet
collodion and bromide gelatin processes, and dated from between c. 1845 and c. 1900. We did
not go any further because the late 19th century brought in its wake such new developments as
amateur photography9, the emergence of the professional press10 and introduction of special
techniąues11, all of which put professional photography in a completely new situation and chan-
ged its aspect. The term „artistic photography", which in the 19th century was applied to pro-
fessional photography and featured on each studio's cardboard prints next to emblems symboli-
zing the fine arts and representations of mcdals won at international competitions, %vould later
be associated almost exe!usively with amateur photography.
Portraiture was the favourite medium from the very beginning (Figs. 2—3). The enormous
popularity of studio portraits was caused by generał demand for cheap likenesses — in the case
of Poland it was particularly high due to the current political situation. Following anti-tsarist
demonstrations in 1861 and the national uprising of 1863, portraits of participants and heroes
of these events began to be mass-produced and widcly distributed. All those who abandoned
their homes to take part in the insurrection left their likenesses to their families, fiancees and
friends. Each Polish family cherished photographs of men in insurgent uniforms and women in
Mack dresses symbolizing national mourning after hopes of recovering independence were dashed.
Many of these portraits carried on their backs descriptions of the suffering the people represented
"went through. Thus such pictures are substitutes for non-existent photographs of events. They
In the exhibition, the c jllection of the National Museum in Warsaw was supplemenled with daguerreotypes and photo-
graphs from priyate owners and other muscums in Poland.
Danuta Jackiewicz, ,,Zbiory fotograficzne Działu Dokumentacji Naukowej Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie", in:
Fotografia, 1984, no. 4, pp. 42—45; Danuta Jackiewicz,,,Die Fotosammlungim Nationalmuseum Warschau", in: Foto-
grafie (Lcipzig), 1988, nr. I, pp. 2—3.
The firstPolish association of amateur photographers, the Club of Enthusiasts of the Art of Photography, was formed in
Lvov in 1891.
In 1895 there appeared in Lvov Przegląd Fotograficzny, the first Polish monthly dealingwith photography.
These printing techniques, aimed at producing painterly or graphic effeets, included gum, bichromate gum plalinum, trans-
fer, pigment, photogiavurc and bronici!.
41