Bolesław Augustis
Bolesław Augustowicz (24 June 1912 – 26 May 1995), also known as Bolesław Augustis, was an Eastern European photographer specialising in street photography. He worked in Poland documenting life in the pre-World War II Polish city of Bialystok and, later, in Auckland, New Zealand. He arrived in Bialystok from Novosibirsk in 1932 at the age of twenty with his parents and siblings.
Also recorded as Bolesław Augustowicz
Bolesław Augustis
- Born
- 24 June 1912
- Died
- 26 May 1995
- Place of death
- Auckland
- Known for
- photography
- Nationality
- Poland
- Occupation
- photographer
- Languages
- Polish
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Biography
Biography
Having already learnt some photography in Russia, he initially worked as an assistant in the Foto-Film studio of Józef Neuhüttler. From 1935 to 1939, Boleslaw was the operator of the studio Polonia Film, located in Kiliński Street, Bialystok. Boleslaw's photographs record everyday activities, special occasions, and political activity in the city, particularly in Kiliński, Lipowa and Palacowa streets. In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Eastern Poland and Boreslaw's father was arrested and deported to Minsk. Not long after, Boreslaw was also arrested by the Soviet NKVD secret police and deported to Siberia. Boleslaw travelled to New Zealand from the United Kingdom in 1949 on board the Rangitoto. After his arrival in New Zealand he married Polish woman, Maria Zazulak (also a Siberian deportee) in 1949. The couple created a life together in Titirangi where their two sons, Zbigniew and Stanislaw, were born. Boleslaw's photographs taken in New Zealand include images of his own family life, the Polish community in New Zealand, street scenes, and landscapes. Boleslaw never returned to Poland and remained in New Zealand until his death in 1995. In 2004 Boleslaw's Bialystok film negatives were found hidden in an abandoned shed in Bialystok where his mother and sister had stored them after he was arrested and sent to Siberia. Polish photographer, curator, and caretaker of the Bolesław Augustis collection Grzegorz Dąbrowski, has been a key figure in the preservation, research and promotion of the collection. In 2023, the collection was added to by a donation of 600 photographs taken by Boleslaw in New Zealand to the Widok Cultural Education Association in Bialystok, Poland. The Sleńdziński Gallery in Białystok has organised a series of exhibitions of Augustis' work including the exhibition Bolesław Augustis: Two Homelands / Dwie Ojczyzny, curated by Grzegorz Dąbrowski, part of the 2026 Auckland Festival of Photography.
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 24 June 1912 • Died — 26 May 1995 • Place of death — Auckland • Known for — photography
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1912
Bolesław Augustis was born in 1912.
1995
Bolesław Augustis died in 1995.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Bolesław Augustowicz, revision 1366029956 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Żmijewska, Monika. Augustis. Association of Cultural Education Widok. 2026. 978-83-927378-6-5.
- 2.Warnke, Agnieszka. A Dream City Refound: Białystok through the Lens of Augustis. Culture.pl. 18 October 2019.
- 3.'Two Homelands': Photos of prewar Poland on display in New Zealand. Polskie Radio. 28 May 2026.
- 4.NZ BDM marriage record: 1949/13950.
- 5.NZ BDM death record: 1995/38122. States birth date of 24 June 1912.
- 6.Dąbrowski, Grzegorz. The Polish photographer who found refuge in New Zealand. Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan, Radio New Zealand. 2 June 2026.
- 7.Bolesław Augustis i Sybiracy z Nowej Zelandii. WIDOK.org.
- 8.Two Homelands / Dwie Ojczyzny. Auckland Festival of Photography.
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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