Kolekcja dagerotypów w zbiorach Muzeum Krakowa – w 180-lecie wynalezienia fotografii

Abstrakt

DAGUERREOTYPES IN THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM OF KRAKÓW – ON THE 180TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVENTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Daguerreotypy is one of the oldest techniques of obtaining photographic images. It was invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851), a theatre scenery painter, the creator and director of the Paris-based Diorama entertainment establishment. The French parliament purchased from him the rights to the technology, and then presented them to the world without patent claims. The daguerreotype technique was popularized throughout Europe by itinerant photographers, with a_substantial number of keen enthusiasts. Daguerre’s invention quickly reached Polish land as well, alas, very few daguerreotypes survive to this day. 1989 saw the publication of Wanda Mossakowska’s book Dagerotypy w zbiorach polskich. Katalog [Daguerreotypes in Polish collections. A catalogue]. The authoress made an attempt to determine the number of daguerreotypes surviving in our country. In order to complete her goal, she explored all public and private collections nationwide. The results of her research are contained in a_calogue comprising 442 entries. The list includes three daguerreotypes which at that time were in the possession of our Museum. The Museum of Kraków has recently acquired seven more items, _ve of which remained unknown to Mossakowska. The present paper is dedicated to these five new, heretofore unknown daguerreotypes. In the first half of the 1990s the Museum purchased a number of family heirlooms and assorted objects which had belonged to three distantly related families: the Płonczynskis, the Schugts, and the Wojciechowskis. Among those new acquisitions were three daguerreotypes produced by unknown daguerreotypists. Two of these images represent the Płonczynski brothers: Aleksander (1820–1858), a painter and a pedagogue, and Wiktor (1814–1883), a court clerk, with his family. The third daguerreotype shows Wiktor Płonczynski’s brother in law Henryk Schugt (1815–1873), acourt writer. The last two daguerreotypes were purchased by the Museum in 2014 from the descendants of Włodzimierz Tetmajer, but are in fact associated with his stepbrother – poet Kazimierz Tetmajer. e images represent Izabela Grabowska, née Jasinska, and Jan Andrzej Grabowski, the parents of Julia, the poet’s mother who married widower Adolf Tetmajer in 1864. Jan Andrzej Grabowski (1808–1880) was a Warsaw merchant and his potrait was produced by an unknown daguerreotypist. The daguerreotype representing his wife Izabela Grabowska, née Jasinska was produced by afamous Warsaw daguerreotypist, and later photographer Karol Beyer. Despite its modest size, the daguerreotypes collection at the Museum of Kraków is extremely valuable.