This collection presents 30 color prints published in the 1920s by the Świt publishing house during the period of Poland’s national revival. The sheets were printed either at the Lithographic Institute B. Wierzbicki or by Jan Cotty, both based in Warsaw.

The Third Partition of Poland, which had divided the country between Russia, Prussia, and Austria since 1795, came to an end in October 1918 with the proclamation of an independent Polish state. This was subsequently confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919.

The color lithographs depicting Polish folk costumes and customs were a donation to the Volkskundemuseum Wien (Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art) by the painter Armin Horowitz (19 October 1880 – 15 June 1965) in 1934. Many of the scenes depicted take place in an idealized, festive setting.

Gustaw Marian Pillati (2 August 1874 – 25 July 1931), son of the Polish painter Ksawery Pillati, studied drawing under Wojciech Gerson and later attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. His teachers included Florian Cynk and Teodor Axentowicz. Much of his work focuses on regional customs, and he became known for his genre scenes and portrayals of rural life. He frequently depicted the regions of the Tatra Mountains, the Beskids, and Podhale. His vivid portraits of Górale (highlanders) and Hutsuls have remained especially memorable.

Pillati taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and was a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts (Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych, TZSP) as well as the artist association Pro Arte.

You can view the entire collection of these color lithographs held by the Volkskundemuseum Wien (Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art) here.

Sebastian Much