The Grodecki family photographs consist of a collection of glass negatives dating from 1904 to 1914 as well as celluloid negatives made between 1914 and 1939, packed into a small box. These were most likely taken by Franciszek Grodecki and his son Miłosz – medical doctors and social activists connected with the health-resorts Druskininkai and Birštonas, and later Milanówek and Warsaw.

The glass negatives (p. I) linked to Franciszek Grodecki come from the period when the whole family lived near Kaunas, Lithuania. Their themes are characteristic of amateur photography of the early 20^th century. In most cases, group portraits adhere to the conventional form, with the family posing in typical arrangements indoors, in a park, or on a trip. Numerous landscape shots capture the beauty of lands surrounding the Neman river: with meanders, hills and forests. However, there are also attempts at more personal portraits, in which family members are depicted individually, or more intimate group scenes. We see men and women in interiors, busy with day-to-day chores, lost for a moment in reading, or playing with children.

Photographs from the interwar period (p. II) are linked to Miłosz Grodecki. These show summer and winter journeys to Polish cities and resorts (Hel, Zakopane, Toruń, Gdańsk). The photographer focused on activities related to holiday leisure: beach games, boat cruises, sea bathing, walks, sleigh rides. The set also includes interesting sights of the sea, mountains and architecture. The shots are captivating for their dynamism and relaxed approach to the subject. A body of photographs focuses on sports, such as skiing, volleyball, canoeing. Of particular interest are the shots taken at a glider airfield. Miłosz Grodecki, the holder of a silver badge in gliding, devoted a whole series of photographs (p. III) to this discipline.

A box that remained hidden in a basement in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district until the 1980s preserved both the sentimental aura of Poland’s Eastern Borderlands, as well as traces of photographic modernity.

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