This shot of a young man was taken by a rural photographer from Kleszczele, a small town in Podlaskie Voivodeship, currently in Hajnówka district. The above photograph possibly shows Władek, a carpenter from nearby Grabowiec.
Jerzy Kostko probably learned photography during the time of bezhenstvo (refugeedom), i.e., the mass evacuation of people, mostly Orthodox believers, from the Western lands of the Russian Empire deeper into Russia. After returning to his homeland, he opened a studio several years later, and the oldest surviving print dates from 1926.
What was he like? He was easily recognisable from afar. A big chap in a funny aviator’s hat, with a rifle slung over his shoulder. Although virtually the whole town made use of his services, years later nobody could really tell us much about him. He was successful with the ladies, but never got married. He was orderly, was never short of money, and was the first in town to have both a bicycle and a motorcycle. Many residents of Kleszczele would pose with his accessories – he had a handbag ready for women, and a watch as a status symbol for men.
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He was reliable and took his profession seriously, but seemed to have no artistic aspirations. He wanted his works to look nice and up-to-date. His studio had a backdrop of antique columns and birch trees.
Kostko photographed the local residents for over 60 years, as he had practically no competition. His collection of over 660 negatives was found in the attic of his old house in Kleszczele in 2013. If his entire archive had survived, one assumes that Kleszczele would have been unique – the only town in Poland where one could see the faces of each of its residents from the last century.
Originally written in Polish, translated by AG, edited by MB, Dec 2018
