Apron – an element of the traditional Rozbark - Bytom region folk costume (the first half of 20th c.)The Museum of Katowice History
Festive clothes
Festive clothes were made of splendid fabrics, frequently silk, jacquard, damask, velvet and wool.
Aprons
Aprons made of Chinese silk, adorned with hand-painted flowers are characteristic.
Black 'jakla' jacket with blue flowers Black 'jakla' jacket with blue flowers (the half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
In the
Bytom costume, a few types of women's attire combinations can be differentiated
-worn with jakla jacket, merynka scarf or wierzcheń vest. Women first put on a watówka – a thick quilted skirt with a bodice sewn to it, which was to make her owner look plumper. Full figure was fashionable at the time.
Dress – called 'kiecka', used as part of the traditional Rozbark - Bytom region costume (the first half of 20th c.)The Museum of Katowice History
'Kiecka'
Then another layers of skirts were put on, with ’kiecka' as the last one – a dress with a bodice, usually pleated.
Moryrok' skirt (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
White embroidered petticoat White embroidered petticoat (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
White petticoat (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
’Watówka’ petticoat (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Watówka
Watówka also served as a frame on which the weight of subsequent layers rested. An apron and a jakla, a kind of jacket with characteristically elongated and rounded back, were worn on the dress.
Chiffon apron (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
On warm days, thin
embroidered white jakla jackets were popular
or thin blouses called kabotek, over which a wierzcheń – a corset vest – was worn, or a merynka scarf tied across the chest.
Traditional Rozbark - Bytom region folk costume Traditional Rozbark - Bytom region folk costumeThe Museum of Katowice History
Jakla
The shape of jakla was drawn from the middle-class fashion of the 19th century.
Kabotek - a blouse used in the traditional Rozbark - Bytom region folk costume (the first half of 20th c.)The Museum of Katowice History
Wierzcheń vest – an element of the traditional Rozbark - Bytom region folk costume Wierzcheń vest – an element of the traditional Rozbark - Bytom region folk costume (the first half of 20th c.)The Museum of Katowice History
Children’s ’wierzcheń’ vest Children’s ’wierzcheń’ vest (the first part of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Merynka' scarf Merynka' scarf (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Scarves
were worn instead of coats and jackets
In winter, these were thick woolen scarves, and richly woven Turkish scarves called a szpigieltuch. In summer, Turkish szaltuszka scarves or checked woolen scarves made of thinner wool were worn.
Thin 'Turkish' scarf called 'szpigiel' or 'szpigielek' Thin 'Turkish' scarf called 'szpigiel' or 'szpigielek' (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Checked woolen scarf (before 1939)The Museum of Katowice History
’Buda’ cap (the first part of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Headgear
The headgear informed whether a woman was married or not. Married women wore caps – called 'buda' in the Bytom region, or purpurka kerchiefs.
Purpurka' kerchief Purpurka' kerchief (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Colours matter
The colour of the purpurka kerchief informed whether a woman was married (a red kerchief with colourful printed pattern) or was a widow (white kerchief with black and maroon printed pattern).
’Purpurka’ kerchief ’Purpurka’ kerchief (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Girls wore
galanda wreaths
- tied with their hair, pinned with ribbons and hairgrips.
Beads with a
cross were the typical Silesian jewellery
– red ones made of real coral or a material imitating it, or yellow glass 'żigloki' beads.
Yellow glass beads called 'żigloki' (the first part of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Gilded Cross
A gilded cross, ornamental with a characteristically shaped arms, was chained to the beads.
Silesian' earrings (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Richer women put
on hollow gold earrings
in the shape of
fruit and flower baskets, called 'kosze', earrings set with coral or turquoise,
or hoop earrings.
The costumes
were sewn of factory produced fabrics
Decorations and finishing was made of tape. Frequently, the edges of a jakla jacket and aprons were decorated with hand-made embroidery, while the crest of the buda cap was adorned with hand-made lace.
In times of
crisis, mainly after World War I,
When decorative fabrics and ribbons were hard to find, women started to decorate aprons and ribbons by themselves, painting them with oil paint. With time, painted szlajfa ribbons and aprons became very popular. Even expensive silk fabrics were decorated in this way.
Painted ribbon used in the Silesian costume Painted ribbon used in the Silesian costume (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Silk ribbon with printed floral pattern Silk ribbon with printed floral pattern (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Silk ribbon with printed floral pattern (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Patterned silk jacquard ribbon Patterned silk jacquard ribbon (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Wstążka jedwabna, wzorzysta Wstążka jedwabna, wzorzysta (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Silk patterned ribbon (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Patterned silk jacquard ribbon (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Brocade ribbon with roses (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Silk ribbon with printed floral pattern Silk ribbon with printed floral pattern (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Hand painted damask apron Hand painted damask apron (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Chinese' damask apron (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Blue damask apron (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Leather women's shoes Leather women's shoes (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Daily attire
differed from the festive
mainly by the quality of the fabrics, sometimes of making. It was sewn of simple linen, frequently with printed pattern. Linen aprons, blue and white or white-blue-red striped, finished with a decorative white embroidery, were characteristic for this type of attire.
Cretonne 'jakla' jacket (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Kerchief worn on the head Kerchief worn on the head (20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Even in the
1980s XX w. it was still possible to see old women
Wearing the traditional folk costume in the street. Today, such costume is worn for festivals and ceremonies, most frequently church ones, such as the Corpus Christi procession, or a pilgrimage of women and girls to Piekary Śląskie. Old elements of the attire are used, or new ones modeled on the old costume parts. Modern fabrics are often used to produce items of clothing. In Pszczyna region there are still some women who wear the costume on weekdays and holidays.
White embroidered 'jakla' jacket White embroidered 'jakla' jacket (the half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Linen 'jakla' jacket Linen 'jakla' jacket (the half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Jakla' jacket (before 1945)The Museum of Katowice History
Men's Rozbark
costume
Was composed of 'kamzela' – along jacket sewn of black or navy blue broadcloth, a bruclek vest made of the same fabric, and a white shirt.
Men's bruclek vest Men's bruclek vest (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
’Jedbowka’ kerchief ’Jedbowka’ kerchief (the first part of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
Silk kerchiefs called 'jedbowka' were tied on the neck.
Kamzela' jacket Kamzela' jacket (the first half of 20. century)The Museum of Katowice History
'Jelenioki'
Yellow trousers of deer leather called 'jelenioki' were worn with the attire. The trousers reached below the knee. High leather shoes tucked in the lower part of the uppers, called 'kropy' were worn with them.
Such costume
was mainly worn by rich farmers in rural areas
Less affluent ones wore black or navy-blue broadcloth trousers and low shoes. As the headgear, a man would wear a hat with a low crown and wide brim, called 'kania'. Men's costume started to go out of use as early as in the 1920s. XX w. Today, such costume is worn only in some villages of the industrial region – usually for church and state festivals and ceremonies.
Silesian costume in miniature
A doll's costume, hand-made in the interwar period of the 20th century.
Curator: Agnieszka Fedorów-Skupień
Photographer: Piotr Sobański
Translator: Monika Hartman
Project Coordinator: Hanna Baron
