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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Tens of thousands of Eastern European immigrants, most of them Polish, arrived in the Connecticut River Valley beginning in the 1880s. Lured by rich soil and the promise of jobs in industrial centers like Holyoke and Springfield, these immigrants energized the region's ailing agrarian and industrial economies. They brought with them their own unique languages and cultures. Longtime residents often reacted with curiosity, fear and prejudice to the newcomers and the different customs and religions they introduced. "Polonaise," a painting by Stephen G. Maniatty (1910-1984) records the Polish presence in the region. Many rural New Englanders viewed the culture and customs of their new Polish neighbors as foreign and exotic, an impression Maniatty captured in his painting of a young Polish woman in her dancing costume.

 

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"Polonaise"

artist   Stephen G. Maniatty (1910-1984)
date   1945-1950
location   Deerfield, Massachusetts
height   38.0"
width   29.125"
process/materials   oil on canvas
item type   Art/Painting
accession #   #1997.11


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See Also...

Sophie Dahowski and Infant

"Are We To Be Polanized?" article from the Greenfield Gazette and Courier newspaper

"Farmers Value Polish Help"


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