Sociological Record 1978-1990

Photography: Zofia Rydet
Editors: Clare Grafik, Karol Hordziej & Lola Paprocka
Text:Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Karol Hordziej & Clare Grafik, Zofia Rydet
Design Brian Kanagaki

Printed in EU
700 copies

This landmark photographic project by Zofia Rydet is a sweepingly comprehensive documentary portrait of Polish domestic life which spans decades, eras, regions and cultures.  

From 1978, when she was 67, Zofia Rydet (1911-1997) set out to photograph the inside of every Polish household. She would approach a home unannounced, knock, and warmly introduce herself and ask the people living there if they would like to take part in her project. 

Rydet was always on the road, with a camera in her hand. For nearly three decades, she photographed people in their homes, still lives, building exteriors and landscapes. She also returned to the same houses several years after she first visited to document the transformation of rural Poland. The result – Sociological Record – is a monumental project and one of the most important achievements in 20th century Polish photography.