Photographic calendar for 1871

The first calendars were exclusively in book form and were treated with the respect due to a book. They were read from cover to cover and kept for years because they contained other interesting content besides the calendar. In addition to their practical importance, they also had a didactic function. They published literary and moral content, historical and natural curiosities, and later advertisements of companies. The oldest Lublin calendar dates to 1636.

With the advent of photography, wall calendars gained popularity. They contained the entire calendar on a single page, which was very practical. They were incomparably cheaper than book calendars and thus more accessible.

Nowaczyński's calendar was published very carefully. The photographs were taken by Aleksander Nowaczyński and the printing was done by his father, Józef. The calendar is freely arranged by months across the entire sheet, which is decorated with views of Lublin and Puławy. There are also folk types, portraits and caricatures.

The choice of the illustrative thread is not accidental. The theme refers to what was happening in Lublin at that time. The theatre, which played a significant role in the cultural life of the city, was very popular. For several seasons, Lublin hosted a travelling theatre group of Paweł Ratajewicz, who held the position of director of the municipal theatre from 1869. His company played in Lublin in the 1860s and 1870s. Before that it gave performances in Łomża, Suwałki, Kielce, Płock, Siedlce and Zamość.

Paweł Ratajewicz was a lawyer by training, but he abandoned his apprenticeship at Lublin's Tribunal in favour of acting. This decision was influenced by his meeting with the actor Adam Tomasz Chełchowski, in whose group he began his stage adventure. In 1843, he founded a theatre company that included many talented people. Ratajewicz took care of the level of the plays he staged. The actors with their own orchestra toured cities and towns, giving performances. They staged comedies, operettas and dramas. Some performances were very successful. Nevertheless, the actors' lives were not easy, as periods of prosperity interwined with poverty.