Jadwiga Irena Golcz (1866–1936) was a Polish photographer, one of the pioneering women of the medium in Poland. Golcz owned a studio in Warsaw and took portraits of leading Polish artists.

Early life and education

Jadwiga Golcz was born on 13 August 1866 in Gradowo, to a wealthy family of

Polish landed gentry Polish landed gentry ( pl, ziemiaństwo, ziemianie, from ''ziemia'', "land") was a social group or class of hereditary landowners who held manorial estates. Historically, ''ziemianie'' consisted of hereditary nobles (''szlachta'') and landed comm ...

. She took an interest in photography in Wojciech Gerson's painting studio and went to Vienna, Paris and Berlin to study the medium.

Career

Golcz took portraits and open-air photographs, as well as pictures documenting works of art. She was the first woman photographer to have her works published in the Polish press; her photographs appearing in ''Wędrowiec'' and ''

Tygodnik Illustrowany ''Tygodnik Illustrowany'' (, ''The Illustrated Weekly'') was a Polish language weekly magazine published in Warsaw from 1859 to 1939. The magazine focus was on literary, artistic and social issues. History It is said to have been one of the mos ...

.'' In the latter, she started the first photography competition of the weekly. With her press photography, Golcz documented the life of the Warsaw elite. She was among the few Polish women of the time to open her own atelier. From the mid-1890s, she ran her own photography studio in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, first located at Erywańska Street, then moved to

Hotel Bristol The Hotel Bristol is the name of more than 200 hotels around the world. They range from grand European hotels, such as Hôtel Le Bristol Paris and the Hotel Bristol in Warsaw or Vienna to budget hotels, such as the SRO (single room occupancy) ...

. Her atelier was frequented by many well-known artists, such as Ignacy Jan Paderewski or Bolesław Prus. She also took portraits of, among others,

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

Ferdynand Ruszczyc Ferdynand Ruszczyc (1870–1936) was Polish painter, printmaker, and stage designer. He was a member of the aristocratic Ruszczyc de Lis family. Biography Born in the village of Bohdanów (then Russian Empire, now Belarus), Ruszczyc spent his ...

Henryk Siemiradzki Henryk Hektor Siemiradzki (24 October 1843 – 23 August 1902) was a Russian-born Polish painter based in Rome, best remembered for his monumental academic art. He was particularly known for his depictions of scenes from the ancient Greek-Roman w ...

. In 1899, a company Golcz ran with Szalay played a role in creating the first distribution networks of foreign films in Warsaw and

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

. Two years later, Golcz ran the first exhibition of film and cinematic equipment in Warsaw. Golcz initiated and published a photography magazine called ''Światło'' and was among the founders of an association of photographers in Warsaw (Towarzystwo Fotograficzne w Warszawie). In 1907, together with priest Włodzimierz Kirchner, she cofounded a photography school in Warsaw which was attended mainly by women. Due to the incompetence of Kirchner, Golcz was eventually forced to close the school, after sinking all of her savings into the endeavour. The event led to her gradual withdrawal from public life.

Death

Golcz died forgotten, in 1936.

Collections

Photographs taken by Jadwiga Golcz can be found in the collections of the

National Museum of Warsaw The National Museum in Warsaw ( pl, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie), popularly abbreviated as MNW, is a national museum in Warsaw, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of ancient art (Eg ...

, the

National Library of Poland The National Library ( pl, Biblioteka Narodowa) is the central Polish library, subject directly to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. The library collects books, journals, electronic and audiovisual publicat ...

, Museum of Warsaw and

Museum of Art in Łódź Muzeum Sztuki, or the Museum of Art in Łódź, is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Łódź, Poland, whose main goal is to research and display avant-garde art, as well as progressive artistic interventions. The institution is housed in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golcz, Jadwiga Polish photographers Polish women photographers 1866 births 1936 deaths Photographers from Warsaw People from Congress Poland 19th-century Polish photographers 20th-century Polish photographers