Autolithographies by Wł. Barwicki

The collection of prints by Władysław Barwicki has two identical covers entitled Autolitografie Wł. Barwickiego Lublin 1913 r. [Auto-litographs by Wł. Barwicki Lublin 1913]. Another work, repeated in two copies, is a portrait of a knight in armour. This means that the portfolio may be incomplete, as some works are duplicated and others may be missing. The prints are not numbered. It is difficult to establish how many works the portfolio originally consisted of and what the artist's intention was - whether to show themes connected with Lublin or to select the best works from his output.

In the collection of the Hieronim Łopaciński Regional Public Library in Lublin there is another copy of a portfolio of autolithography. It contains nine graphics in the cover, which are identical to those owned by the National Museum in Lublin, except that none of the graphics are duplicated.

The content of the works in the portfolio may have been influenced not only by the artist, but also by their later owner, the well-known Lublin collector Henryk Zwolakiewicz (1903-1984).

Zwolakiewicz was a graphic artist, bibliophile and pedagogue. He taught at several schools in Lublin, including the Secondary Art School, of which he was the director for a short time. Loving the culture and folk art, he preserved its beauty in numerous sketches, watercolours and publications. He made ex-librises, which he also collected, with great success. He left behind many drawings and prints. He inherited a passion for collecting from his parents. He collected posters, press, graphics, souvenirs connected with Lublin and works of Lublin artists, including Władysław Barwicki.