Collection

Patriotic telegrams – also known as Kościuszko telegrams – began to be issued in Poznań in 1895 on the initiative of Maria Łebińska and Teodora Kusztelanowa. The printing was launched with the aim of selling colorful, decorative forms bearing the image of Tadeusz Kościuszko to raise funds for charitable, social, and educational causes, while at the same time serving as a way to sustain Polish identity under Prussian rule.

These prints quickly transcended their practical function, becoming symbolic carriers of historical memory and national pride. They were adorned with portraits of national heroes (such as Tadeusz Kościuszko, Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, and Bolesław Chrobry), depictions of important events in Polish history (uprisings, the Battle of Grunwald, the Baptism of Poland), as well as slogans

reinforcing the national spirit, such as “Honor and Fatherland”, “Unity of the Nation”, and quotations from the Rota, the Dąbrowski Mazurka, and works by Mickiewicz, Słowacki, and Sienkiewicz.

Despite censorship and repression, the telegrams became a very popular form of offering greetings during family celebrations and national holidays. They also expressed solidarity and attachment to Polishness among the inhabitants of Greater Poland at the time. The custom of sending greetings on these colorful forms continued after 1918. Their rich iconography and symbolism make them a unique testimony to the efforts undertaken by Poles “to uplift hearts” during the partitions and later in the Second Polish Republic.

The presented collection includes one thousand patriotic and greeting telegrams dating from 1909–1955. These documents, preserved both as individual items and in album form, provide exceptional insight into the social and national life of the first half of the 20th century. They contain recognizable names and handwritten notes by Greater Poland activists, entrepreneurs, and artists, as well as ownership marks (seals) of companies, associations, and schools. The telegrams reflect contemporary patriotic sentiments, national symbolism, and the ways in which support and solidarity were expressed during important moments of Polish history. Their rich ornamentation, symbolic motifs, and personal dedications illustrate the important role they played in shaping community and national identity.