Konrad Brandel was an exceptionally active and creative figure among Polish professional photographers of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
He embraced the new field of image-making with passion and brilliantly harnessed the power of the modern medium. The exhibition will feature the oldest photographs in the world taken during a free balloon flight. These light-sensitive images, captured from a previously inaccessible perspective, show views of Warsaw recorded by Brandel in the summer of 1865. Soon after this spectacular event, the photographer staged a self-portrait with his camera in a balloon gondola. He later often used this work in advertising photomontages for his studio.
Brandel tirelessly documented the city: changes in Warsaw's architecture, important events, but also the everyday life of its residents, always emphasizing thoughtful composition and the aesthetic aspect of the frame. In 1883 he designed the photo-revolver, a portable camera for taking pictures “from the hand,” which allowed him to capture unposed street scenes and brought him fame as an outstanding chronicler of life in the capital. Thanks to his pioneering work, we can call him the father of Polish photojournalism.
Without a doubt, Konrad Brandel was a visionary ahead of his time.
Curator: Magdalena Bajbor
18th Edition of the Photography Cabinet / Konrad Brandel. Visionary and Documentarian
By Magdalena Bajbor
Dec 16, 2026 – Mar 21, 2027
