IPN wants to find out about two young people from Henryk Śmigacz photo

The photograph taken by Henryk Śmigacz (it exists in two versions: original monochrome and colorised) shows two young, immaculately dressed people. They smile to the camera. The woman hold a small bag in one hand, and a small basket in the other. He holds a folded roll - probably a poster or a drawing. "Seemingly, they look as random passersby stopped by a photographer while strolling along a Warsaw street. However, the background showing ruins of Warsaw stands in stark contrast to this assumption," the IPN said.

"Maybe one of You will recognise their father, granfather, grandmother, or great grandmother? We want to find out where they came from and what happened to them later on? Where and in what circumstances the picture was taken?" - the institute said in a Facebook post.

Not only the IPN, but also the photographer's daughter and granddaughter are determined to establish the identity of the pair from the image. The archive has asked anyone who may have any information to send it to archiwumipn@ipn.gov.pl.

"In September we have asked for help in identifying a pair holding a newborn baby in their hands. We received some tips, but the haven't been confirmed. We believe in the power of Facebook, we believe that this time, thanks to You, we will learn the names of the young people from the shown photograph," the institute added.

Henryk Śmigacz's legacy has now been added to the IPN archives as part of the "Archive Full of Memories" project. The vast collection of photos and resettlement documents have been donated by Aleksandra Szczygielska (Śmigacz's daughter) and her daughter Małgorzata. This way they have fullfilled Henryk's commitment to preserve the memory of the victims and losses incurred at the hands of the German occupants.

This collection of photos is extremely valuable in terms of documenting the WWII period, and is a very interesting material for research on the history of war photography and of Polish theatre. A large part of these photos have never been published as reprints. For many years, they were kept outside Poland - in Belgium.