Title: Roman B.J. Kwasniewski Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1897-1959
Bulk Dates: 1920-1931

Creator:

• Kwasniewski, Roman B.J., 1886-1980

Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 19

Quantity:

• 186.5 cubic ft. (313 boxes)
• 1 oversize folder
• 1,003 nitrate negatives
• 313 safety film negatives

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Roman B.J. Kwasniewski was a photographer who worked in Milwaukee's Polish-American community (Polonia). Kwasniewski took many of the images at his Park Studio, located on Lincoln Avenue, on Milwaukee's south side. Most of the studio photographs depict family events such as anniversaries, first communions, funerals, graduations, and weddings. Other images include scenes of accidents, fires, floods; fraternal organizations; homes; construction scenes; individual businesses, including Kuryer Polski; political parties; ceremonies such as church anniversaries, ordinations, and dedications; social events such as New Year's Eve celebrations and "Hard Times" parties which were popular in the 1920s; and sporting events. The result is a striking picture of Milwaukee's south side Polish-Americans and their contributions to the city in which they lived. The collection consists of 29,153 negatives (glass and film), over 6,000 prints, 80 lantern slides, and 247 documents. The documents, which were included with the negatives and prints, mainly consist of correspondence between the photographer and his customers concerning photo orders. The collection also contains an accounting ledger dating from 1921 to 1933.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0019

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Roman B.J. Kwasniewski (originally Kwaśniewski), son of Jozef and Wanda (Dyniewicz) Kwasniewski, was born June 10, 1886 in Chicago. His father, a native of Jaroslaw, Poland was educated at Lwow prior to coming to the United States. He owned a shop at 654 Becher Street, Milwaukee, where he maintained a lithography and printing business, sold his own oil paintings and portraits, as well as books, statuary, religious and church items, picture frames, and stationary; and manufactured badgers, banners, and artificial flowers. Also, Jozef taught mechanical drawing, and edited the agricultural page of the Kuryer Polski until his death on May 17, 1927.

Roman Kwasniewski's mother, Wanda Dyniewicz, was the daughter of Albertyna and Wladyslaw Dyniewicz (1843-1928), who founded, edited, and published the Chicago Gazeta Polska. Dyniewicz opposed his daughter's marriage at the age of 16, and although he allowed the young married couple to live on his property in central Wisconsin for a time, he wrote his will so that only a Dyniewicz could inherit the property. Roman was the only child of the Kwasniewskis.

In the 1890s, the family moved to Milwaukee. As a young man, Roman Kwasniewski was educated at Milwaukee public schools until he was ten years old; he then attended St. Hyacinth's parochial school from 1898 to 1900, South Division High School, from which he graduated in 1904, and Marquette University (1926-1928). He managed his parents store until 1913 when he opened Park Studio at 1024 West Lincoln Avenue. After the studio was sold, he continued the artificial flower business begun in 1897 by his mother. At Marquette University Kwasniewski studied real estate, and subsequently pursued that career part-time. Kwasniewski married Mary Drozniakiewicz, daughter of Matthew and Paulina (Szymanski) Drozniakiewicz, and the couple became the parents of Edward, a chemist; Adele, wife of John Kaczmarowski; and Roman L., an industrial engineer.

Kwasniewski is best known for his photographic documentation of early twentieth century Milwaukee, especially of the Polish-American community. In addition to being a prolific photographer, he was an inventor as well. When his father became deaf late in life, the son invented a typewriter with a light signal rather than a bell to indicate the margin. He assisted his son-in-law in designing a special glass vent for use in metal plating processes, perfected a method to straighten and salvage scrap wire for the stems of artificial flowers, and invented a camera able to take a roll of glass negatives before others were available commercially. Following the death of his father, he took over responsibilities of writing for and editing the agricultural page of the Kuryer Polski.

Kwasniewski was active in many local business and community organizations. His hours of business were frequently sporadic, which enabled him to devote time to the Polish National Alliance, the Polish Falcons, Pulaski Council, the Lincoln Avenue Businessmen's Association, the Marquette Real Estate Association, the Knights of Columbus, the Boy Scouts, and other groups. During the depression Kwasniewski's financial difficulties forced him to curtail his community activities. Shortly before his death, Kwasniewski turned over most of his duties and offices to his son-in-law.

The collection contains glass negatives, nitrate negatives, safety film negatives, lantern slides, photographic prints, photographic postcards, and miscellaneous correspondence/documents of the late Roman B.J. Kwasniewski. Kwasniewski's work provides a detailed picture of life on Milwaukee's south side, largely from 1920 to 1931.

Kwasniewski took most of the images at his Park Studio on Lincoln Avenue on Milwaukee's south side. Photographs depict family events such as anniversaries, first communions, funerals, graduations, and weddings. Other images include scenes of accidents, houses, construction sites, businesses, fraternal organizations and activities, and sports. Also included are social events such as holiday celebrations and "hard times" parties which were popular in the 1920s.

Because Kwasniewski kept detailed records, a large percentage of the photographic images are identified by either the subject of the photographic image or the customer's name. It is important to note that many times the name identified with a photographic image may not be the person(s) appearing in the photographic image, but rather the person(s) who actually ordered or purchased the print.

The collection contains 29,153 negatives, over 6,000 photographic prints, 80 lantern slides, and 247 documents mainly consisting of correspondence between the photographer and his customers. These documents were found with the negatives in the original envelopes used by Kwasniewski and processed as part of the collection.

The collection contains 27,835 glass negatives. The majority of these are 5x7 (95% of all glass negatives). It also contains 1,003 nitrate negatives and 313 safety film negatives of varying sizes. Eighty lantern slides from the 1910s and 1920s primarily depict coming attractions at local theaters, as well as other ads and miscellaneous subjects.

Negatives are organized by format (glass, safety film, and nitrate), size, and then job number. Photographic prints (boxes 243-300 and oversize folder 1) are arranged according to the topical scheme described in the Alternate Format Available section. Documents (box 301) are arranged by job number. Boxes 304-309 contain cracked and broken glass negatives.

The Milwaukee Polonia digital collection is the primary access point for the collection. It includes all negatives, prints and not matched to negatives, lantern slides, and documents. A key to the descriptive elements in the metadata follows.

Field Name

Description

Date

The date on which the photograph was taken or developed. Many of the photographs are undated; others are dated only to the month and day, but not the year. However, in many cases the specific year of the image can be ascertained through the job number. See the Guide for Dating Photographs by Job Numbers.

Photographer's Note

The content of this field is ambiguous. It may refer to the name of either the customer or subject (name of the individual or group or description of the scene depicted in the photograph).

Address

The value of this element is ambiguous. It may refer to the address of either the customer or the location depicted in the image. Note: The City of Milwaukee changed street names and the street numbering system in 1930. The database contains the original street addresses prior to 1930. Therefore, it is important to check the date of the image to verify the address. The Milwaukee City Directories are helpful for verification.

Subject Term (Local)

Each image was assigned a topical heading code. See the Guide to Topic Headings elsewhere in this finding aid.

Job Number

Original customer order number assigned by Kwasniewski, sometimes ending with an "A" or "B." The significance of these last characters is unclear. Archivists assigned numbers beginning with "A" to unnumbered photographs (e.g., A08036).

Additionally, staff frequently added a suffix to job numbers to indicate the topical heading, or subdivision thereof, to which the photograph was assigned. This suffix consists of a hyphen followed by a number (e.g., -1). For example, job number 15913-1 is associated with topical heading 5E1, "Weddings—Bride"; 15913-2 with 5E2, "Weddings—Bride and groom"; and 15913-3 with 5E5, "Weddings—Other." There is no logical relationship between suffixes and topic heading codes.

The topic heading code does not always indicate a subdivision when one exists. For example, photographs 31390-1 and 31390-2 are both assigned to topic heading 5A, "Anniversaries." Photos associated with 31390-1 show couples, while those associated with 31390-2 show groups. A subdivision is clearly implied by the presence of a suffix, but in this case is not represented in the topic heading schema.

Quantity

The number of negatives associated with a job number.

Original Item Medium

The form of the photograph or photographs. Values are: "Safety film negatives," "Nitrate negatives," "Glass negatives," "Lantern slides," and "Photographic prints."

Original Item Size

Dimensions of the negatives and slides. Dimensions are not provided for prints.

Alternate Format

Indicates the availability of a photographic print that matches the negative.

Photographs are indexed by the following local classification scheme.

1A1

Activities and organizations–Celebrations–Employees

1A2

Activities and organizations–Celebrations–Holidays

1A3

Activities and organizations–Celebrations–Parades and rallies

1A4

Activities and organizations–Celebrations–Picnics

1A5

Activities and organizations–Celebrations–Other

1B

Activities and organizations–Dance groups and performances

1C

Activities and organizations–Drama troupes and performances

1D1

Activities and organizations–Fraternal/cultural organizations–Polish Falcons

1D2

Activities and organizations–Fraternal/cultural organizations–Polish National Alliance

1D3

Activities and organizations–Fraternal/cultural organizations–Polish Scouts

1D4

Activities and organizations–Fraternal/cultural organizations–Polish Women's Alliance

1D5

Activities and organizations–Fraternal/cultural organizations–Miscellaneous

1E

Activities and organizations–Musical groups and performances

1F

Activities and organizations–Recreational activities/organizations

1G

Activities and organizations–Miscellaneous

2A

Business and community–Business organizations

2B

Business and community–Civic organizations

2C

Business and community–Community leaders

2D

Business and community–Labor organizations

2E

Business and community–Visiting public figures

2F

Business and community–Miscellaneous

3A

Citizenship/immigration–Female

3B

Citizenship/immigration–Male

4A1

Education–Faculty and staff–Activities/organizations

4A2

Education–Faculty and staff–Group

4B1

Education–Graduation–Group

4B2

Education–Graduation–Individual

4B3

Education–Graduation–Student with family

4C1

Education–School buildings–Exterior

4C2

Education–School buildings–Interior

4D1

Education–Students–Activities/organizations

4D2

Education–Students–Group

4D3

Education–Students–Individual

5A

Family events–Anniversaries

5B

Family events–Birthdays

5C1

Family events–Funerals–Ceremony

5C2

Family events–Funerals–Children

5C3

Family events–Funerals–Men

5C4

Family events–Funerals–Women

5D

Family events–Holiday gatherings

5E1

Family events–Weddings–Bride

5E2

Family events–Weddings–Bride and groom

5E3

Family events–Weddings–Ceremonies and receptions

5E4

Family events–Weddings–Groom

5E5

Family events–Weddings–Other

6A

Kwasniewski–Business

6B1

Kwasniewski–Portraits–Children

6B2

Kwasniewski–Portraits–Family

6B3

Kwasniewski–Portraits–Female

6B4

Kwasniewski–Portraits–Male

6C

Kwasniewski–Miscellaneous

7A1

Military–Personnel–Group

7A2

Military–Personnel–Male

7B

Military–Veterans/organizations

7C

Military–Miscellaneous

8A

Passports–Children

8B

Passports–Family/group

8C

Passports–Men

8D

Passports–Women

9A1

Portraits–Adults–Couples

9A2

Portraits–Adults–Female

9A3

Portraits–Adults–Group

9A4

Portraits–Adults–Male

9B1

Portraits–Children–Female

9B2

Portraits–Children–Group

9B3

Portraits–Children–Male

9B4

Portraits–Children–Siblings

9B5

Portraits–Children–Toddler/infant

9C

Portraits–Family

9D

Portraits–Miscellaneous

10A1

Religion–Altar boys–Family/group

10A2

Religion–Altar boys–Individual

10B1

Religion–Baptisms–Family/group

10B2

Religion–Baptisms–Individual

10C1

Religion–Churches–Exterior

10C2

Religion–Churches–Interior

10D1

Religion–Communion/confirmation–Family/group

10D2

Religion–Communion/confirmation–Female

10D3

Religion–Communion/confirmation–Male

10D4

Religion–Communion/confirmation–Siblings

10E1

Religion–Nuns–Family/group

10E2

Religion–Nuns–Individual

10F1

Religion–Priests–Anniversary/ordination

10F2

Religion–Priests–Family/group

10F3

Religion–Priests–Individual

10G

Religion–Miscellaneous

11A1

Residential–Individual houses–Exterior

11A2

Residential–Individual houses–Interior

11B

Residential–Real estate

11C

Residential–Construction sites

11D

Residential–Streetscapes

11E

Residential–Miscellaneous

12A

Rural Scenery–Lakes

12B

Rural Scenery–Landscapes

12C

Rural Scenery–Structures

12D

Rural Scenery–Miscellaneous

13A

Sports–Baseball

13B

Sports–Bowling

13C

Sports–Football

13D

Sports–Miscellaneous

14A1

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Bakeries

14A2

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Banks, savings and loans

14A3

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Beauty parlors

14A4

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Butcher shops

14A5

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Factories/employees

14A6

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Furniture stores

14A7

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Grocery stores

14A8

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Insurance offices

14A9

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Kuryer Polski

14A10

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Maynard Steel

14A11

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Pharmacies

14A12

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Professional offices

14A13

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Real estate offices

14A14

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Taverns

14A15

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Other businesses

14A16

Urban scenes–Commercial buildings–Unidentified

14B

Urban scenes–Public buildings

14C1

Urban scenes–Transportation–Commercial vehicles

14C2

Urban scenes–Transportation–Insurance photos of wrecks and injuries

14C3

Urban scenes–Transportation–Private transportation

14D

Urban scenes–Construction sites

14E

Urban scenes–Parks

14F

Urban scenes–Streetscapes

14G

Urban scenes–Miscellaneous

15A

Miscellaneous–Artistic photography

15B

Miscellaneous–Reproduction of art

15C

Miscellaneous–Animals

15D

Miscellaneous–Theater slides

Job Number

Decade or Year

10000s-13000s

1910s

14000s-16000s

1920

17000s-18000s

1921

19000s-20000s

1922

21000s-22000s

1923

23000s

1924

24000s

1925

25000s

1926

26000s-27000s

1927

28000s

1928

29000s

1929

30000s

1930

31000s

1931

32000s

1932

33000s

1933

34000s

1934

35000s

1935

36000s

1936

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

• Roman B.J. Kwasniewski Papers. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 22, Milwaukee Micro Collection 38.

Access Restrictions

Handling of the glass negatives and lantern slides requires the assistance of an archivist. Access to the nitrate and safety film negatives is restricted; researchers must use digital access copies. There are no other access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee acquired the collection in January 1979 through the assistance of Polanki, the Polish Women's Club of Milwaukee; and Roman Kwasniewski's daughter, Adele, and her husband, John Kaczmarowski (unnumbered accession). Representative Walter Kunicki and Senator John Plewa secured state funding for processing the collection. The collection was formally opened for research on May 3, 1991 during a program at the Golda Meir Library.

Barbara Nelson donated additional negatives, prints, and an accounting ledger to the Archives in December 2007 (accession 2007-027).

Processing Information

William C. Mona and James P. Kusik led a team of students, including Kevin Corbitt, Linda Crippen, Michael Keane, Christel Maass, and Bob Mink, who processed the collection at the Archives between 1989 and 1991. Around 1998 Kathy Koch added assigned job numbers to prints that did not have an assigned number. Christel Maass finished processing the documents and revised the finding aid in 2007. Christel Maass added accession 2007-027 to the collection (as boxes 302-303) and updated the database in April 2008.

From July 2010 through mid-January 2011, Bob Jaeger led a project to prepare the collection for digitization. Nitrate and safety film negatives were moved to a location with like materials. Cracked and broken glass negatives were moved to boxes 304-309. Copy negatives were separated from the collection and placed in the case file. A full report is in the case file.

In February 2014, Dan Hauck removed 33 poorly developed, nitrate negatives.

Box   303	Accounting Ledger, 1921-1933
Box   301	Documents
Box   1-241, 302, 304-309	Negatives Physical Description: Glass negatives  Access Restrictions: Request the assistance of an archivist to view the glass negatives.
4 x 5 Nitrate Box   1	Negatives Physical Description: 4" x 5" nitrate negatives  Access Restrictions: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital access copies.
5 x 7 Nitrate Box   1	Negatives Physical Description: 5" x 7" nitrate negatives  Access Restrictions: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital access copies.
8 x 10 Nitrate Box   1	Negatives Physical Description: 8" x 10" nitrate negatives  Access Restrictions: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital access copies.
OS Nitrate Box   1	Negatives Physical Description: Oversize Nitrate negatives  Access Restrictions: Access to the nitrate negatives is restricted; researchers must use the digital access copies.
4 x 5 Safety Film Box   1	Negatives Physical Description: 4" x 5" safety film negatives
5 x 7 Safety Film Box   1	Negatives Physical Description: 5" x 7" safety film negatives
8 x 10 Safety Film Box   1	Negatives Physical Description: 8" x 10" safety film negatives
Box   14	Pictures Physical Description: Lantern slides  Access Restrictions: Request the assistance of an archivist to view the lantern slides.
Box   243-293	Pictures, Standard sizes Physical Description: Photographic prints
Box   294-297	Pictures, Oversize 1 Physical Description: Photographic prints up to 12" x 14"
Box   298	Pictures, Oversize 2 Physical Description: Photographic prints from 8" x 20" to 10" x 22 1/2"
Box   299	Pictures, Oversize 3 Physical Description: Photographic prints measuring approximately 16" x 20"
Box   300	Pictures, Oversize 4 Physical Description: Photographic prints measuring approximately 10" x 28 1/2"
Oversize Folder   1	Pictures, Oversize 5 Physical Description: Photographic prints measuring 30" or more on any side