Fotografie z zakładu Ignacego Kriegera w zbiorach Fototeki Instytutu Historii Sztuki Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego

Charakterystyka i perspektywy badawcze

Abstrakt

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM IGNACY KRIEGER’S STUDIO IN THE COLLECTION OF THE PHOTO LIBRARY OF THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY’S INSTITUTE OF ART HISTORY. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES

The Photo Library of the Jagiellonian University’s Institute of Art History is one of the oldest photographic archives in Poland, and its holdings, collected for over 130 years, are closely connected with the development and scope of art historical research in Kraków. This also applies to the over 900 photo prints produced by the well-known studio of Ignacy Krieger that operated in Kraków in the years 1860–1926. The images show historic buildings and works of art, mostly located in Kraków, but also in about a_dozen other towns (e.g. Gołuchów, Nowy Wisnicz, Baranów Sandomierski, and Biecz). The aim of the paper is primarily to present general characteristics of this group of photographs in terms of their physical features, subject matter, dating, and provenance. It gives a detailed description of the original markings used on the photographic prints, such as signatures, or inscriptions with reference numbers printed from negatives, corresponding with the extant lists of views oered by Krieger’s atelier. Strong emphasis has also been put on the provenance of the discussed photographs, since the markings which can be seen on the prints (stamps, annotations), as well as written sources (old inventories and account books) sometimes enable the researcher to determine precise details related to the purchase of the specific prints, which, in turn, makes it possible to determine the terminus ante quem of the creation of the negatives. Over a_quarter of the group were purchased at the end of the 19th century by Prof. Marian Sokołowski for what was then called the Art History Cabinet of the Jagiellonian University, usually directly from the photographer; other items were donated by private persons or institutions, including in particular the Commission on Art. History of the Polish Academy of Learning, and the Circle ofConservators of Western Galicia. An analysis of the discussed group of prints has enabled the author to outline several research perspectives, presented in the second part of the paper. On the basis of three examples (well documented in source materials), namely photographs  of the Late Gothic polyptych representing St Johnthe Almsgiver from the Augustinian church in Kraków; a reproduction of a_painting from an ancient vase from the Gołuchów collection; and a photograph of an 18th-century town plan of Rzeszów – the author has demonstrated a_close relationship between the activity of Kriegers’ studio and the academic research conducted by Kraków art historians, especially Marian Sokołowski