Which is the prettiest Vintage Polish Children’s Book’s art? I searched through hundreds while having an on-line Slavic shop and here are my favourites that nobody is talking about.
Szelmostwa Lisa Witalisa
There are numerous variants of this famous Jan Brzechwa book, but the one with Maciej Buszewicz pops the most and is also very true to the mischievous nature of Witalis the fox.
Illustrations: Maciej Buszewicz
Year: 1987
To see all Vintage Jan Brzechwa’s books and compare for Yourself what is out there – visit link.
Winky – A Little Native Man
Illustrations: Zofia Darowska
A showstopper – I see a lot of vintage Polish books for kids, but this one got my attention! Love the clashing colours and the overall concept of Zofia Darowska, a generally unknown artist who brought to us classic editions of piano notes… Yes, during the communist era even piano notes could have mesmerising illustrations, but that’s a tale for another time.
“We were just good craftsmen,”
said Darowska, who often worked with her husband.
A Seaside Meeting
I never heard about this book before, but I know there are many admirers of this subtle story of a girl meeting a new blind friend among the windy Polish seaside with its Kashubian folklore and myths… And the romantic cover by Mieczysław Majewski is a great sample of that mood – ready-made idea for a tattoo or a big-format wall painting if you ask me.
Illustrations: Mieczysław Majewski
Year: 1979
The Clock’s Great Grandfathers
An example of an unknown, not very regarded book with just stunning artwork on the cover that could be framed and put up on the wall. The book itself is a quirky take on solar clocks, Egyptian clocks, and other inventions that are “grandfathers of the clock.” Interestingly enough, the rooster from the cover is in this category too…
Illustrations: Tadeusz Gawryś
Year: 1964
A Ginger Placek and Other Cats from the Docks
The whole book with illustrations by Janusz Grabieński is spectacular and quite pricey on the second-hand market in Poland these days, but the cover definitely stands out. His whole work is worth checking out if you are into these things, with Black Sheep and other classics of Vintage Polish Books for Kids under his belt.
Illustrations: Janusz Grabiański
Year: 1976
Pssst… Here are all the books available with Janusz Grabiański’s artwork
The Castle of Seven Oaks
A splendid collection of stories from Lusatia, a formerly Slavic part of Germany (oh how little we know about the world!). I love the aesthetic of the illustrations and cover art done by none other than Bożena Truchanowska and Wiesław Majchrzak, with a fairytale castle that is ready to be a print on a curtain or something like that for a very pretty children’s room…
Illustrations: Bożena Truchanowska and Wiesław Majchrzak
Year: 1965
💡Did you know… In Poland often there were two or sometimes even more artists responsible for illustrations of a single book; sometimes they just worked together, and sometimes it was one for the cover and the other for the rest, or one for the illustrations and the other for the intricate lettering, opening page, etc.
Wearing Rainbow as the Headband
Another example of a widely unknown book, thin and insignificant in itself but with a spectacular cover that stays with you… It was painted by the famous Ewa Salomon, who had a very distinctive, romantic, and girly style that can’t be mistaken for any other. Another good tattoo or logo inspiration – I see a dozen ideas on this first page alone!
Illustrations: Ewa Salomon
Year: 1988
A Heart Golden Like a Pigeon
A book with a mysterious title – a Young Adult novel, I’ve heard – but with some very romantic and well thought-through cover art by Wiesław Majchrzak. You can see here how many hours went into this one illustration, and this is my problem with modern ones that are done in minutes.
Illustrations: Wiesław Majchrzak
Year: 1984
I mentioned recently that there will never again be an economic scenario when a painter sits back and paints illustrations for one book for a year, so we will never again see gems like that. I got a reply that they will paint it with AI now, no problem…
And I don’t know which is the saddest of the two…
