Browse Items (11 total)

One of the houses located on the Old Market Square as viewed from its rear courtyard. While many residences in the Old Town seemed quite presentable from the front, sadly, some backyards were the very image of poverty and desolation.

Wąska Street — a perfect name, if ever there was one, for this narrow street found in Bałuty. The wooden structures and fences, lack of sidewalks, cobblestone surface and rain gutter all add to its lackluster appearance. Several barefoot children,…

At a local night shelter, homeless men stand or sit on cots constructed from nailed-together boards. Shabbily dressed men with overgrown beards and mustaches strike a pose for a group photo. While most of the men wear caps, a few are sporting brimmed…

World War I was a difficult time for Łódź inhabitants. Food and supplies aid for the poorest residents was overseen and coordinated by local government—initially by the Main Citizens' Council and later by the City Hall and City Council. These local…

This delousing facility was but one of many in Łódź at the time of the First World War. Official policy required boys and men being treated at such facilities to have their heads shaved. Here we see this service rendered by a man in medical garb.

During World War I, the material and medical conditions in which Łódź residents lived were dire. The lack of detergents, especially of regular soap, made proper upkeep of personal hygiene nearly impossible. Communicable diseases such as cholera,…

This photograph presents one of the many delousing facilities in Łódź at the time of the First World War. Official policy required girls and women being treated at such facilities to have their heads shaved. Here we see this service rendered by a man…

A poorly dressed Jewish boy sells his wares at the market. His satisfied smile tells us he can work and has something to sell or trade.

This portrait of two Jewish women bears witness to the extent of the poverty Lodzers suffered in the World-War-I era. Though barefoot and dressed in rags, they are smiling thanks to the victuals in their baskets, which they procured for their…

From 1916 to 1918, nearly all industrial activity in Łódź came to a standstill—there was no work to be found, food staples were in short supply, and food prices had risen to several times their former value. Many Lodzer families became destitute and…