The story of seven Polish women who joined in the reconstruction of the independent Polish state is the content of the exhibition ‘Girdle and Dynamite’ at the ‘Window on Culture’ Gallery of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Prepared by the “Independent” Office as part of the celebrations of the Year of Aleksandra Piłsudska, established by the Polish Sejm, the exhibition can be seen until the end of February 2024.
The protagonists of the exhibition are Aleksandra Piłsudska, Maria Bartel, Elżbieta Korfanty, Cezaria Jędrzejewicz, Helena Paderewska, Zofia Moraczewska and Michalina Mościcka – wives of statesmen, presidents and prime ministers of the Second Republic. Women who devoted themselves not only to the fulfilment of personal needs but treated as an equal task caring for a free Homeland, whose independence was won at great cost.
“Dynamite was perfectly suited to the girdle. Fortunately, we could not complain about the fashion of the time. Ladies wore voluminous coats, capes, skirts and dresses, bras and corsages, making it easy to hide many things. With time, we became so skilled that, with up to forty pounds of ammunition or blotting paper on us, we travelled freely without arousing suspicion”, Aleksandra Piłsudska described in her memoirs.
The exhibition has 7 chapters: freedom, independence, identity, education, political engagement, social responsibility and women’s rights. Each of them presents a selected issue, a profile of one of the Ladies of Independence and a short biography of the Fathers of Independence, in terms of the functions they performed.
The main content of the exhibition is placed on a dark steel display. The strong, dynamic shape, which gives the impression of floating gently, symbolises the power of Polish women – their energy and the enormous effort they put into making their goals a reality. It is complemented by green panels depicting Józef Piłsudski, Kazimierz Bartel, Wojciech Korfanty, Janusz Jędrzejewicz, Ignacy Paderewski, Jędrzej Moraczewski and Ignacy Mościcki.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński