Ukrainian city of the beginning of the 20th century through the lens of an American traveler

In August 1934, Louise Arner Boyd, a famous American traveler and photographer, made an unforgettable expedition to Polissy. This trip left a significant mark on the Western world thanks to unique photos and notes.

Louise Arner Boyd was elected as a delegate to the International Geographical Congress in Warsaw, and this trip was part of her larger expedition through the territory of what was then Poland, which covered large parts of modern Ukraine and Belarus.

Among the many stops on Boyd's way was the city of Bolekhiv, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Photos taken by the traveler and the participants of her expedition from the car window reveal the atmosphere of the city almost a century ago. These photos depict not only the architecture of Bolekhov, but also its inhabitants, their everyday life, traditions and customs.

Thanks to the photos, you can see what the streets looked like, what the residents wore, and even feel the spirit of that time. Boyd's photographs show Bolehiv not only as a point on a map, but also as part of a larger ethnographic context.

Boyd's journey ran from Lviv to Vilnius and covered a large part of Polissia. She traveled by car, rail, boat and on foot, exploring the customs, clothing, economy and culture of the ethnic groups that inhabited these lands.

Especially valuable were her photographs, of which more than 500 were taken. These materials, published by the American Geographical Society in 1937, became an important source of knowledge about the life and lifestyle of the population of these regions.

Thanks to the Boyd expedition, the world got a unique opportunity to get to know Polissia and other regions of modern Ukraine.

This photo collection is currently at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (USA).