Objects

Shield-shaped gorget in brass, measuring 8.5 x 7.5 cm. On its obverse is an image of Our Lady of Częstochowa made of silver and superimposed on the engraving of intersecting flags. The upper left corner bears the image of a crowned eagle. Combat symbols, including swords and pistols, are placed throughout the gorget surface. At the bottom, the gorget is adorned with a diagonal grille, while the top had chain attached. On the reverse side there is an inscription: "Walecznym braciom poświęcają Polki Izraelitki" ["To the brave brothers from the Polish Israelite women"].

The gorget is likely a part of the set together with the banner of Edmund Taczanowski's unit, preserved as a replica, and with the banner's finial (also a replica; MOZK/H/536). The banner and gorget date back to the period of the January Uprising – a time when the Polish population, regardless of religion, fought against the occupier. The Jewish Polish women living in Kalisz, who are mentioned on the reverse and who probably commissioned the gorget, organised a committee to recruit insurgents among the Jewish minority, provide aid to the wounded and organise the support by providing uniforms or bandages. The exhibit was purchased from a private person in 2018.