Graphic Art Collection

The Historical Graphic Material Collection is housed in a separate room in the Library and has been part of the Special Collection Department since 1953. Graphic material and visual images relating to the history and cultural heritage of Poznań and Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) are processed, submitted for library preparation, and offered to the user for personal inspection and examination.

Graphic material collection consists of the following collections:

1. Photographs:
   • original negatives on glass plates and flexible film,
   • original photographic printing images (19th-20th c.),
   • contact prints from old negatives.
2. Engravings:
   • albums and graphic collections (18th-20th c.)
   • individual copies of engravings and pamphlets (17th – 20th c.)
   • picture post cards depicting a wide variety of town views, street views, buildings, etc. of Poznań and the region.
3. Photo albums and encyclopaedias

The most distinctive part of the holdings is the collection of original photographs of Poznań and the region from the first half of the 19th c. and the beginning of the 20th c. and the collection of old picture postcards. This collection is the largest of its kind that is offered freely to the users. Valuable additions to the collection are original engravings from the 17th -20th c. There are no rarities but the sheer vastness of the collection and its scope of interest and variety of the items ranks it high among other similar collections.

The collection is made accessible mainly for scientific purposes. It is an excellent source material for historians, conservators-restorers and researches working on local studies. There are catalogues of the photographs and albums available.

Catalogues of picture postcards (Poznań and the Wielkopolska region), photographs, photo albums and individual portfolios are also available.