Why Did Cyprian Norwid Wear the konfederatka?: The Crime of Wearing a Black Dress

Abstract

After the partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia and Austria, Poland disappeared from the maps of Europe. The failure of the November Uprising of 1830 against the Russian occupiers led to harsh repressions imposed by the tzarist rule on the Polish people. Many insurgents were imprisoned, or sentenced to death, or forcibly deported to Siberia, their manors and estates were confiscated, and family members were persecuted. As a result, the revival of patriotic attitudes among the subsequent generation in the Kingdom of Poland led to outburst of opposition to the imposed Russian authorities. On the 30th anniversary of the Battle of Grochów, the citizens of Warsaw organized a demonstration in the Castle Square. The Russian soldiers attacked the protesters and killed five. Around that time, a national mourning was secretly announced, and women decided to wear black dresses and silver or bone jewellery in the form of a cross or a crown of thorns, thus sending a hidden message to compatriots and to the Russians. As a result, the decree was issued against the black garments, stating that only personal mourning was allowed based on an official certificate of a family member’s death, otherwise the mourners could be imprisoned. Therefore, other colours, white and violet were introduced as a sign of resistance as well. Black dresses and the konfederatka caps meant not just fashion during the years of the January Uprising; they gained recognition as a hidden patriotic code among Poles living both in the occupied country and in emigration. Poet-emigrant Cyprian Norwid explained the importance of wearing the special type of men’s headgear, referring to the great history of his enslaved country and arguing that symbols and power of thought are powerful weapons in the modern world.

Keywords

• fashion
• national mourning
• January Uprising
• Norwid

Project Number

1

References

1. Banach, A. (1957). O modzie XIX wieku. Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy.
2. Barnard, M. Fashion as Communication. [1996 (2002)] Second Edition. Routledge.
3. Barthes, R. (1967). Système de la Mode. Editions du Seuil.
4. Davis, F. Fashion, Culture, and Identity. [1992]. University of Chicago.
5. Halicz, E., Kieniewicz, S., & Miller, I. (Eds.). (1968). Dokumenty Komitetu Centralnego Narodowego i Rządu Tymczasowego 1862 – 1864. Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich.
6. Hebdige, D. [1979]. Subculture. The Meaning of Style. Methuen & Co.
7. Kieniewicz, S. [1972] Powstanie Styczniowe. PWN.
8. Kurjer Warszawski. (1863, nr 246).

9. Kurjer Warszawski. (1863, nr 252).
10. Laver, J. (1937). Taste and Fashion. From the French Revolution until Today. G.G. Harrap.
11. Lejko, K. (2004). Powstanie styczniowe i zesłańcy syberyjscy: katalog fotografii ze zbiorów Muzeum Historycznego m. st. Warszawy. Muzeum Historyczne m. st. Warszawy.
12. Norwid, C. (2019). Dzieła wszystkie. XII, Listy 3. Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL, Biblioteka Narodowa.
13. Niemirycz, A. (2018). ‘The Endless Story of Giving Voice to the Other: Translating Poets Cyprian Norwid and Barbara Sadowska.’ Çankaya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(1-2), 49-66.
14. Nowak, A. [2013]. Pamięć antyimperialnej rebelii. In: Szarek, J. Powstanie styczniowe. Zryw wolnych Polaków. Wydawnictwo AA.
15. Powstanie styczniowe. (1963). Materiały i dokumenty. Ruch rewolucyjny 1861 roku w Królestwie Polskim. Manifestacje na prowincji. Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk.
16. Powstanie styczniowe. (1973). Materiały i dokumenty. Korespondencja namiestników Królestwa Polskiego. Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich.
17. Sola-Sałamacha, N. (2019). Moda patriotyczna w Polsce. Od konfederacji barskiej do powstania warszawskiego. Oddział IPN Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu w Lublinie.