CUT - OUTS FROM ŁOWICZ
WYCINANKI ŁOWICKIE
Image Source: folklorysta.pl
Polish wycinanki (pronounced vee-chee-non-kee) started to be made in the middle of the 19th century by inhabitants of small Polish villages.
The first paper cut-outs have been done in villages surrounding Warsaw, located on the right bank of the river Vistula, near Jeziorna. In Jeziorna, was one of Poland's biggest paper factories of the time and it was the first one to start the production of thin non-handmade paper.
For the paper production, the factory needed cellulose which could be found in the rags from the nearby villages. As payment for the rags, these communities received the coloured paper from the factory.
The oldest Polish paper cut-outs were single coloured, which is the complete opposite of what the cut-outs from Łowicz look like.
Image Source: folklorysta.pl
The patterns found in the cut-outs from Łowicz are one of the most, if not the most recognizable showcase of Polish folk crafts and people. Created to act as decoration on the walls of village houses, they were the peasant's answer to very expensive paintings and elaborate decorations found in grand mansions owned by the rich. Hence the name of one of the vases; 'poor man's painting'.
Traditionally, sheep shears were used to cut the paper which was bonded with glue boiled from rye flour.
At one point, there was a real craze for the cut-outs with a lot being made. According to some sources, this led to the older cut-outs being moved from the festive room to the working room and later to the buildings for animals so that the animals could also enjoy their beauty.
The cut-outs from Lowicz are still being made. However, the patterns can also be found on many types of consumer goods, in particular souvenirs, ranging from fridge magnets to bags. As the patterns have been popularized, their history and meaning have been forgotten. Polish Folklor celebrates this forgotten history of not only the patterns but the traditional manufacturing methods, the people that made them and how they have been traditionally used.