It features over one hundred prints, alongside books, personal letters and archival material relating to the legacy of Zofia Rydet, one of the most interesting figures in 20th-century Polish photography.
The display is part of her monumental, decades-long project that chronicled Polish domestic life.
Born in 1911, Rydet began work on her Sociological Record at the age of 67, knocking unannounced at people’s doors, warmly introducing herself and asking if members of the household would like to take part in her project.
She often returned to the same homes several years after her first visit to document the transformation of rural Poland.
Most of the photographs are portraits of children, men, women, couples, families and the elderly in their home environments.
The Photographers’ Gallery describes Rydet’s Sociological Record as "one of the most extraordinary photographic archives of the twentieth century."
On its website, it writes: "Over 20,000 black-and-white portraits, most taken inside a person’s home. The format rarely changed. Her subjects stand in their living rooms, surrounded by furniture, family photos, crucifixes, embroidery, clocks and wallpaper that tell as much of a story as their faces do. Every image is composed with the same direct flash, the same square frame, and the same feeling that time has briefly stood still."
Rydet died in 1997, aged 86.
The exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery runs until 22 February 2026.
The event is part of the UK/Poland Season 2025, organised jointly by the British Council, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw and the Polish Cultural Institute in London.
(mk/ał)