Monidło

Monidło is a wedding portrait based on a hand-coloured photograph of the bride and bridegroom.

The pictures usually featured a black-and-white photograph, with the lips painted red, eyes painted blue and other spots retouched. At times an expensive-looking attire was also added to the picture. First appearing in 19th-century Poland, it was a cheaper alternative to traditional portraits popular among the higher strata of the society. Because of its relatively moderate price, the monidło style paintings became very popular among common people, notably the peasants. The period following the World War II saw a decline in this form of art and to some the term monidło is synonymous to kitch.

External links

• An example of a modern monidło
• A monidło featured in the 1970 film under the same title, based on a short story by Jan Himilsbach