The Pilsudski Institute of America is a non-profit research organization. Our mission is to preserve archival materials and provide public access to key historical documents about the history of Poland and Polish-Americans in the United States. Our most precious archival collections relate to the interwar era of the Polish Second Republic (1918-1939).
The most valuable items from our collection include:
- Order nr. 1,000 - Order of Battle of Warsaw 1920, with a signature of Marshal Pilsudski, gen. Rozwadowski and other military commanders (from the archival collection of Commander-in-Chief 1918-1922).
- The archival collection of Silesian Uprisings 1919-1921.
- Letter of King Sigismund I the Old to Jan Mikołajewicz from 1513 (donation of Mr. Alfred Szebel)
- A gallery of 250 paintings: Matejko, Mehoffer, Wyspiański, Axentowicz, Malczewski, Gierymski, Wyczółkowski and others.
Part of our collection has already been digitalized and published online on our website. Currently, the Pilsudski Institute of America wants to take on a project of digitizing 300 black and white photos of Marshal Pilsudski.
The black and white photos capture moments in time and convey stories from the past that cannot be forgotten. The old photos from the Pilsudski Institute Collection portray Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, one of the most influential persons in the history of Poland, the one who changed the future of the nation in 1918. It is easy to feel a sense of nostalgia while viewing them, as the photos tell a fascinating story of the fight for Poland’s independence.
Marshal J. Pilsudski with members of the Polish Legions in 1915.
The images include pictures from Pilsudski's youth, the Polish Legions’ fight for independence during WWI, and the political activity during the Second Polish Republic in the ‘20s and ‘30s. The digitization process is time consuming and tedious. The photos have to:
1) be scanned, 2) diligently described by a person who is knowledgeable in the history of WWI, as well as fluent in both - Polish and English, 3) published online on the Institute’s website and shared through social media.
The cost of the project is $4,000. We want to thank all who decide to support the project.
Please donate through our website (we use Paypal) or by sending us a check, payable to the Pilsudski Institute of America. Thank you again for supporting our digitization project.
Please support our Digitization Appeal 2022 |
Learn more about the Pilsudski Institute of America. Virual Tour of our headquaters.
Learn more about Marshal Pilsudski and his private life.
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