When can the exhibition be visited?

The exhibition will be on view starting November 7, 2026, at 10 AM at the Wendish Museum Cottbus and will run until February 21, 2027.

How much does admission cost?

The regular admission for adults is 5 Euros. Discounts and further tariff information are based on the current fee schedule of the museum.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at the Wendish Museum Cottbus or Serbski muzej located at Mühlenstraße 12, 03046 Cottbus.

What does the exhibition showcase?

A selection of around 200 glass negatives by Denis Galloway featuring images from Lower Lusatia, the Spreewald, and Wittichenau between 1908 and 1914 is shown.

What themes are central?

The central themes include Sorbian-Wendish ways of life, traditional costumes, fieldwork, markets, portraits of children and women, as well as weddings and other significant events.

Is the exhibition suitable for cultural education?

Yes. The exhibition connects historical photography, ethnography, regional cultural history, and a vivid examination of the works into an educational and artistic experience.

Faces of a Time: Historical Photographs Preserve the Lusatian World of Tomorrow

Name: Denis Galloway – Woblica ze zajźonego casa / Faces of a Time
Start: 2026-11-07T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2027-02-21T17:00:00+01:00
Location: Wendisches Museum Cottbus / Serbski muzej

Faces of a Time: A Photographic Journey in Lusatia

The Wendish Museum Cottbus presents with Woblica ze zajźonego casa / Faces of a Time for the first time a selection of around 200 glass negatives by the Scottish ethnographer, photographer, and artist Denis Galloway. The exhibition leads into Lower Lusatia, the Spreewald, and Wittichenau and opens an impressive view of the Sorbian-Wendish way of life between 1908 and 1914.

An Archive of Glass and Light

Galloway's historical photographs preserve faces, traditional costumes, work environments, and rituals of a bygone era. People engaged in fieldwork, at markets, in portraits of children and women, as well as at weddings appear as individual personalities and bearers of cultural memory. The glass negatives combine ethnographic accuracy with attentive appreciation of the work.

Traditional Costumes, Everyday Life, and Cultural Identity

Particularly striking are the diverse variations of traditional costumes, which in this authentic form are rarely seen today. Fabrics, patterns, postures, and gazes tell of regional belonging, social everyday life, and lived customs. The photographs make cultural identity not abstract, but tangible in concrete faces, gestures, and materials.

Photography as a Historical Source

The recordings made between 1908 and 1914 possess both documentary and aesthetic value. The original glass negatives arrived at the Ethnographic Museum in Cluj-Napoca in 1950, were later digitized, and made accessible through Europeana as part of the European cultural heritage. In the Wendish Museum, the Lower Lusatian motifs are presented for the first time in print form as a cohesive exhibition.

Exhibition Atmosphere and Cultural Education

The concentrated presentation invites to a decelerated art experience. In quiet contemplation of the works, the gaze sharpens for light, contrast, clothing, spatial effects, and social relationships. At the same time, the curation connects photography, ethnography, culture of remembrance, and regional history into a vivid contribution to cultural education.

Conclusion: Experience History in Faces

Denis Galloway – Woblica ze zajźonego casa / Faces of a Time makes visible a Sorbian-Wendish world of life that often seems distant in historical texts and is encountered directly in these images. Visitors can expect an aesthetic experience between photographic art, cultural history, and personal memory. Those who want to discover Lusatia with a sharpened eye for people, traditions, and visual testimonies should definitely experience this exhibition live at the Wendish Museum Cottbus.