Między fascynacją a rozczarowaniem: Nowy Jork w prasie warszawskiej z drugiej połowy XIX wieku

Abstract

For the majority of foreigners who came to New York in the XIX c., New York was the place where they took their first steps on American continent. As it was also the case with correspondents of the Polish press, one should not be surprised by the fact that they focused on this city. Their observations were useful for those who planned their trip to the United States, yet above all they were a source of information and resulting from it expectations concerning the biggest American metropolis. This paper deals with the presentation of New York in the Polish press of the XIX c. Such a profound interest in American issues in the Polish press might be a surprise, as in the Russian partition emigrational movement developed only in the eighties of the XIX c. Even though the items of news coming from America were not as numerous as e.g. from Paris, London or other European capitals, taking into account the distance, their number was quite considerable. Comments on their stay in New York were delivered among others by Kalikst Wolski, Roger Łubieński, Maksymilian Jatowt, Julian Horain, Krystyna Narbutt, Jan Karłowicz, Feliks Fryze, yet above others, by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Polish news desks posted also fragments of descriptions by foreign travelers in America (Louis Prosper Ernest Duvergier de Hauranne, Louis Laurent Simonin). There is no doubt that newcomers could not be indifferent to New York: some were fascinated, others disappointed. The metropolis stunned by its size, traffic, the number of various factories, commercial and service companies but also by its terrific views. Visitors to New York noticed that the city, unlike old European metropolises, did not have any monuments, which added to the character and uniqueness of those places.