Exhibition "Photo with Bear"

As they say, in 1922 a photographer from Zakopane, Henryk Schabenbeck, ordered the first teddy bear skin from a furrier. From then on, for years, everyone who came to Zakopane wanted a photo with a white teddy bear. The photos were taken mainly in Gubałówka and Krupówki, as well as in the Kościeliska Valley and Kuźnice. A photo with a teddy bear was something! You had to have them, just like taking the cable car to Kasprowy or going to Morskie Oko. As it turned out, the bear liked to travel. He could be found in Sopot, Gdynia, Jurata, Bydgoszcz, Warsaw, Chorzów and in many other cities and towns. What's so magical about it that almost everyone has a photo with it? A teddy bear provides a bit of impressions, excitement, a bit of laughter and surprise. It takes us away from the gray of everyday life and takes us into the world of fairy tales. Years later, this photo evokes a sentiment towards childhood and youth. The bear has become an icon of pop culture. It connects all worlds, breaks down boundaries and social barriers. Thanks to the teddy bear everyone feels equal. The teddy bear does not judge and loves everyone. “For this job, you have to be familiar with people and feel what kind of photo they want, because some are standing rigidly and others want interaction. Then you have to behave properly as a teddy bear. Children sometimes hug themselves and do not want to let go, while others, shy, are afraid. Sometimes they accost, but when I open my head, they gain respect for my grandfather "- says Mr. Marek Zawadzki, the current Mr. Bear in Krupówki.