Welcome to the Lublin edition of the exhibition “Neighbours: From Birth to Death,” This project, originally presented by the Opole Village Museum based on a 2021 initiative, showcases a collection of portraits by amateur photographer Franciszek Lepich from Oleszka.
Dating back to the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, the remarkable discovery of these photographs came in the form of their original glass negatives, unearthed in 2016. The images depict residents of Oleszka, Jasiona, and Żyrowa, villages located in the Krapkowice district, near Mount Saint Anne in Opole Silesia (formerly part of Germany until 1945).
Lepich’s photographs, beyond their artistic merit, serve as a unique record of rural life in Opolian Silesia. Arranged into a cycle titled “From Birth to Death,” they capture the essential stages of life for the region’s inhabitants, offering a glimpse into Opolian Silesia’s history and culture.
Born in 1909, Lepich was an amateur photographer, a wheelwright and carpenter who, throughout his adult life, documented his community through photography. Without a set plan, he captured a diverse cross-section of society: individuals in traditional attire, working in their professions, surrounded by everyday objects. He photographed people of all ages, both men and women, at home, in natural settings, and against architectural backdrops. These images collectively portray the multi-generational character of the Oleszka community.
Unfortunately, much of Lepich’s work was lost during World War II. However, a remarkable collection of 750 original glass negatives from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s survived. Discovered in 2016 at the home of Lepich’s son, Berthold, these negatives were secured and digitised by the local heritage association from Żyrowa. In 2019, the Opole Village Museum recognised the historical significance of this collection.
The 2021 project aimed to preserve Lepich’s legacy. The valuable photographs were digitised and processed, forming the basis for this exhibition. The project also encompasses a published catalogue, film, and a dedicated website: www.franciszeklepich.pl. By combining these elements, the project ensures that Lepich’s work continues to inform and inspire audiences for generations to come.
Magdalena Górniak-Bardzik
Curator
Details
When: 5-30 August
Where: The Hartwig Alley
Outdoor exhibition
EXHIBITION PHOTO LABELS (GOING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM OF THE GALLERY STAIRS)
A baby wrapped in diapers on a pillow. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1920s.
Marta Bomba is holding a baby in a cradle covered with a shawl. Jasiona Colony (German: Jeschona), around 1930.
First birthday (the so-called ‘roczek’) of Jan Post, the eldest son of Józef Post and his wife Jadwiga, née Matejka. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), May 7, 1935.
A commemorative photo from the christening of Maria Porada from Żyrowa (German: Zyrowa). Little Maria is held in a blanket by her parents, Jadwiga and Ryszard. Posing for the photo with them are their sons – Paweł, Ryszard, Hubert, and Jerzy, as well as Jadwiga’s father. Żyrowa (German: Zyrowa), 1945.
A boy, approximately two years old, sitting in a wooden toy carriage. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1930s.
This is a photograph taken around 1928 in Oleszka by Franciszek Lepich. The picture shows his youngest sister, Klara Lepich (1924-2017) holding a kitten.
A toddler, around three years old, in front of a house in Oleszka (German: Oleschka), around 1930.
A grandfather and his grandchildren pose for a photo in Oleszka, around 1930. The grandfather is affectionately referred to as ‘opa’ in Silesian.
A one-year-old child sitting on a pillow in a room. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), around 1930.
A group of children are seen playing on a blanket in front of a house in Oleszka (German Oleschka), around the year 1930.
A group of siblings are standing in front of their family home in Oleszka (Oleschka) during the 1930s.
A young boy is pictured on his first day of school in Oleszka (German: Oleschka) during the 1930s. He is carrying a traditional German school cone, known as a ‘Schultüte,’ filled with treats.
A young girl is pictured on his first day of school in Oleszka (German: Oleschka) during the 1930s. He is carrying a traditional German school cone, known as a ‘Schultüte,’ filled with treats.
A young girl, Bronisława Namysło, is pictured on her First Holy Communion day in Oleszka (German: Oleschka) during the 1930s. She is wearing a white communion dress and a myrtle wreath, and is holding a candle and a prayer book. A Marian Sodality medal is visible around her neck, symbolizing her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
A young girl is pictured in Oleszka (Oleschka) around 1940. She is sporting a characteristic hairstyle of the time, featuring a large hair roll on top of her head.
A teenage boy is pictured in Oleszka (Oleschka) around 1930. He is dressed in his finest clothes, sporting a unique tie fastened with a stylish butterfly brooch.
A married couple with three children. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1930s.
A woman with a rabbit. This is Marta Bomba, a resident of the Jasiona Colony (German: Jeschona), wife of Ferdynand Leżoch. After their wedding, she moved to Gliwice (German: Gleiwitz). Oleszka (German: Oleschka), around 1930.
An engaged couple poses for a portrait in Oleszka (Oleschka) around 1930.
Young women dressed ‘peasant style,’ that is, in traditional Silesian folk costumes consisting of a jakla (loose coat) and mazelonka (skirt with a bodice). On the left: Anna Kowolik. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1930s.
Young men in typical high-waisted trousers held up by braces. In the background, a limestone wall overgrown with vines, characteristic of buildings around Mount Saint Anne. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1920s.
Franciszek Szulc, b. 1906, d. 1974, the husband of Jadwiga (nee Lepich), the photographer’s sisters. A worker at the coking plant in Zdzieszowice (German: Deschowitz). Additionally, he worked as a butcher and a gravedigger at the parish cemetery in Żyrowa (German: Zyrowa), and was a member of the local fire brigade. Jasiona Colony (German: Jeschona), around 1930.
A young man in festive attire with a wavy fringe hairstyle (called Augustwela). Oleszka (German: Oleschka), around 1930.
A woman and most likely her fiancé, both in everyday attire. The man is wearing pumphose (pump pants), a once-fashionable type of puffy, short trousers fastened below the knees. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), late 1920s.
A photograph taken in front of the :Labisz family’s house in Żyrowa during a Polterabend, a traditional pre-wedding party held the night before the wedding. It was customary to break glass and porcelain in front of the bride’s family home, which also served as the wedding venue, to ward off evil spirits and protect the couple from misfortune. In the photo, from left to right: Franciszek Szulc with a mandolin, Jadwiga Labisz (in the back), an unidentified man in a woman’s disguise, and Ryszard Porada. Żyrowa (German: Zyrowa), around 1930.
Wedding photo of Jadwiga and Franciszek from Żyrowa (German: Zyrowa), taken in front of the bride’s family home in Kolonia Jasiona (German: Jeschona). The woman is dressed in traditional Silesian attire – a black jakla (a type of jacket), a black mazelonka (a skirt with a bodice), and a white zopaska (apron). Her head is adorned with a merta, a myrtle wreath – a symbol of innocence and virginity. The man is wearing a classic ancug (suit) and holds a folded chapeau claque top hat in his hand. Kolonia Jasiona (German: Jeschona), around 1930
Wedding photo of Antoni Skóra and Matylda from Sława (German: Slawa) near Poznowice (German: Posnowitz). The bride is dressed according to new trends inspired by urban fashion, wearing a white gown with a veil (Silesian: szlajer), over which she has placed the traditional green myrtle wreath (Silesian: merta), a symbol of innocence and virginity. The groom is wearing a classic suit (Silesian: ancug) and holds a folded chapeau claque top hat (Silesian: szapoklak). Oleszka (German: Oleschka), around 1930.
Newlyweds with wedding guests in front of the Bomba family inn in Oleszka. The bride is dressed in a fashionable style, following urban trends, wearing a white gown with a veil (Silesian: szlajer). However, she has also adhered to the traditional custom of wearing a green myrtle wreath (Silesian: merta), a symbol of innocence and virginity. The groom is wearing a stylish black frock coat. The bridesmaids are distinguished by their floral wreaths. The bride and groom’s parents and grandparents occupy places of honour. Older women are dressed in traditional Silesian folk costumes. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1930s.
The newlyweds with wedding guests in front of the family home. The bride’s attire is particularly striking in the photo. The woman is dressed in a gown tailored according to urban fashion trends. However, the dark colour of the dress and the myrtle wreath on her head reference folk traditions. The arrangement of the guests is also traditional, with the parents occupying the place of honour next to the newlyweds. Jasiona (German: Jeschona), late 1930s.
A middle-aged couple. The woman and the man are elegantly dressed in the urban fashion, or “in a gentlemanly manner”. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1930s
A photograph of siblings in one of the rooms of their family home. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1930s.
The Lepich children, likely during a break from chores in their backyard. First from the left: Klara Lepich. Kolonia Jasiona (German: Jeschona), around 1930.
Transporting goods by bicycle. Jasiona colony (German: Jeschona), 1930s
Work on the homestead – parents with their growing children in work clothes. In the background, a backyard well with a wooden winch. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1930s.
Digging potatoes in the field behind the Lepichs’ house. Kolonia Jasiona (German: Jeschona), 1930s.
A group of young women pose outside the Saint Elizabeth Foundation (German: St. Elisabethstiftung) in Żyrowa. This institution housed a kindergarten and offered cooking, sewing, and tailoring courses to local girls. Notable individuals in the photograph include Jadwiga Knop (second from the right in the bottom row) and Gertruda Smiatek (third from the right in the top row). Żyrowa (German: Zyrowa), around 1930.
A group of employees of a lime kiln plant in Gogolin standing in front of a lime kiln. Franciszek Lepich, a bricklayer by trade and the photographer’s father, is identifiable by his cap and pipe, standing second from the right. Gogolin, 1930s.
Local bakers. Their bakery was located in the old Porada family house. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), around 1920.
Shearing sheep in Skały (today a hamlet of Oleszka). Skały, around 1930.
The multi-generational Szulc family photographed in their home garden. Featured prominently is Franciszka Knop nee Szulc with her children: eldest son Robert, middle son Rudolf, and newborn daughter Klara. Also present are Franciszka’s parents, Jadwiga and Franciszek. Żyrowa (Germany), 193
Jadwiga Szulc (née Lamla), born in 1873, died in 1957, a housewife originally from Leśnica (German: Leschnitz). For many years, she took care of neglected graves in the Jasiona cemetery. Jasiona colony (German: Jeschona), around 1930.
Antoni Skóra, born 1868, died 1951, was a construction master employed at the palace in Żyrowa (German: Zyrowa). He was married to Leopoldyna (née Matuszek) and the couple raised twelve children, including five sons. Antoni ensured his sons received a solid education. Jasiona colony (German: Jeschona), 1930s.
Two elderly women dressed in traditional Silesian folk costumes – jakla (jackets) and mazelonka (skirt with a bodice). On the left: Maria Porada. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), late 1930s.
The prematurely deceased Jadwiga Porada rests peacefully in a symbolic white coffin. Clad in white, her tiny form is partially concealed by religious images, brought according to custom as a final farewell by children.
A funeral procession carrying the deceased from their home. Grieving loved ones gathered around the coffin. Oleszka (German: Oleschka), 1920s.
