Objects

Portrait photograph of two Jewish grain merchants on horseback

The photograph was taken in Działoszyce, in the Pińczów County, in 1902 by Władysław Postawka (1883–1932), the owner of the estate in Chruszczyna Mała, near Kazimierza Wielka. Postawka was an amateur photographer who captured the life of his own family, manors, and estates in the Świętokrzyskie region, as well as the surrounding landscapes and architecture. However, above all, he captured the residents of villages and nearby towns belonging to the family.

The men depicted in the photograph, grain merchants, are residents of Działoszyce — a town that was a typical shtetel at that time. By the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the town had the highest percentage of Jews, next to Chmielnik or Kałuszyn, who made up approximately 80% of the population (in 1897 – 76.6%, in 1921 – 83.6%). In the mid-19th century, a brick synagogue was erected, with a cheder, library, mikvah and rabbi's house located in its extension. Działoszyce also had a fairly typical economic profile, with the majority of its residents engaged in crafts and trade. It is known that by the late 1880s, . there were 38 grain merchants in the town, and all branches of trade and industry were dominated by Jews.

The photograph is a portrait of two Jewish grain merchants on horseback. Both men, in their middle age, are facing the camera lens with their right sides. The man in the foreground is wearing a dark (black?) heavy double-breasted coat resembling a bekishe with pockets, a black fur hat, and high boots. He has a long beard, and a rifle is slung over his right shoulder. He is seated on a Polish or Hucul pony. Behind him, slightly withdrawn to the left, there is a taller man sitting on a black-bay horse. He is also dressed in a dark double-breasted bekishe, a fur hat, and high boots. He has a long beard and a rifle slung over his left shoulder. The presence of firearms indicates dealings with significant amounts of money and serves as protection against attacks and robbery. The outer garments of both Jews are fastened to the left side. The horses are standing in front of a single-leaf wooden entrance door (with a three-pane transom window) to a residential building. In front of the door, on the cobblestone sidewalk, there is a round straw doormat. On the left side of the frame, there is a six-pane window with flowers in light pots on the inner sill. On the right side there is part of another window.

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Information about the object
Author / creator
Postawka, Władysław (1883-1932)
Object type
photography
Time of creation / dating
beginning of the 20th century
Place of creation
Działoszyce (Świętokrzyskie Province)
Technique
black-and-white photograph
Material
photographic print paper
Keywords
Copyright status
the object is not protected by copyright law
Owner
Seweryn Udziela Etnographical Museum in Kraków
Identification number
III/90092/F MEK