In a middle class tenement house. The daily and the festive

About the exhibition

The exhibition was awarded by the Ministry of Culture in 1992.

The exhibition presents two models of a middle-class flat from the turn of the 20th century, displayed in the original interior of a tenement house dating back to 1910. The concept for the exhibition was defined by the history of the city up till 1939, as well as by the preserved original features of the tenement house. Taking advantage of the natural space of the tenement building, two residences are presented – of a wealthy and a lower-middle class family.

The central point of an upper middle-class flat is an elegant living room connected to the adjacent one by a sliding door. A large, representative hall leads to it, entered from the main staircase, which was also a space separating the areas of the family’s private, daily life and those for entertaining guests. The rooms were arranged in enfilade.

The middle class living room in the residences of high-ranking families was a combination of a ballroom and a palace lounge. The semicircular bay window in the corner of the room significantly contributes to the refined look of the interior. The atmosphere there is further emphasised by a magnificent architectural jardiniere from Racibórz, which, combined with the space of the bay-window, creates an illusion of a palatial garden and forms a secluded place for a confidential tête-à-tête. This imposing version of furniture for decorative arrangement of potted flowers in a domestic setting – incidentally, the only one in Polish museology – is a French type jardiniere creatively transformed by German cabinet makers. It was characteristic for German cultural background – a costly piece of furniture ordered to fit a particular interior. In line with the fashion of the time, all the furniture is placed against the walls. The middle of the room remained empty, so that the guests had as much free space as possible. A grand mirror between the windows and a glass cabinet with decorative porcelain items complete the furnishing of the living room.

A polyphon placed on the table by the window suggests that balls were held here, accompanied by music. In the corner, there is a small Neo-Renaissance ladies escritoire for those seeking a quiet place. It was used for writing short notes and dance cards. On the walls, low above the furniture, paintings by renowned artists were hung. Portraits of ladies in exquisite dresses predominate among them. On the table covered with a patterned plush cloth – as fashion dictated – albums of family photos were arranged. 

The boudoir was the second space belonging to the part of the flat for entertaining guests. Here, one could rest during a ball, drink coffee or eat dessert after a dinner party. The Neo-Empire set with which the room is furnished perfectly represents its specific function. The paintings – still lifes, landscapes and portraits – add lustre to this feminine interior. Jacquard tapestries reflect the hosts’ aspirations to upper-class lifestyle.

Directly from the presentable part of the flat a large dining room was entered. In the past a double door led to it, non-existent today. Initially, it was separate from the private area of the flat, though they are connected today. It is furnished traditionally, in accordance with the fashion of the time, with a set of elegant Neo-Mannerist furniture. The key piece of furniture there is a large oval extendable table. If needed, as many as 24 persons could sit around it.

Another major piece of furniture in the dining room is a grandiose cupboard which, together with the accompanying chest of drawers with a mirror, performed two basic functions: the practical one of storing porcelain sets, silverware, tablecloths and doilies, as well as a decorative one.

The arrangement of the opposite side of the room comprises a square piano standing next to a magnificent tiled masonry stove, and a Neo-Renaissance cassapanca, characterised by a rich stylistics of the Kaiser Wilhelm II era. The furnishing is complemented by paintings. As the custom dictated, they are primarily still lifes, but there are also landscapes and portraits.

The study, the realm of the master of the house, adjoins the dining room. It is fitted with characteristic furniture and men’s accessories which made work easier and relaxation more pleasant. A sprawling desk with a comfortable armchair was indispensable, together with a stationery set, a case for documents and correspondence on the desk, as well as a typing machine and a telephone, technological novelties in those times. Family photos were also essential. The furnishing is complemented by a comfortable leather sofa, armchairs,  a round table and a card game table, the so-called karciak.

Behind the master study room, a nursery room is presented. Located close to the parents’ bedroom and isolated from the rest of the flat, it did not have a direct entrance from the hall. It is furnished with typical items adjusted to the needs and age of children, such as a wooden cot with railing, a set of shelves for toys, a little chair and a table with a bench, a wash basin with a set of porcelain toiletries and a wooden school desk for home study. The last room in the enfilade of the museum flat of a wealthy middle-class family is master bedroom. It was located in the back passage through the flat – on the side of the courtyard – next to the nursery and the bathroom. At the exhibition, two beds joined into one marital double bed occupy the central space. They are arranged – as customary – directed „towards the room”, with their headboards against the wall. They are ”festively” made – as they were made daily – with a pink lined lace bedspread and a decorative cushion at the headboard. On both sides, there are night stands. Standing on them, there are bedside lamps, a clock, a little prayer book, a photograph of the married couple and a servant bell. On the floor, next to the bed, there are two small rugs, the so-called mostki („bridges”). A large rug hangs on the wall above the headboard, with a crucifix and a sacred image of the Virgin with the Child.  Close to the bed, near the window, there is a ladies’ vanity set with a large mirror and costly toiletries: a plated metal hairbrush with a hand mirror and a cut glass perfume bottle, as well as boxes for powder, cotton balls or rouge. At the window, there is a table with two chairs, set for breakfast, since, in wealthy families, the married couple had their breakfast together in the bedroom. The furnishing of the bedroom could not miss a chaise longue – a piece of furniture on which one could stretch out comfortably and relax for a while without disturbing the ”festive” arrangement of the bedding. The furniture is complemented by a washstand with a mirror, a marble top and a set of porcelain toiletries – a bowl with a jug, a soap dish and a bucket of water – as well as by a bidet, an ottoman with a chamber pot inside and a three panel room divider obscuring the husband and wife during intimate hygiene routines.

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