This article highlights a rare photograph from 1856 depicting Marek Ptasiński, a 41-year-old Polish peasant from the village of Ptaki near Starogród.Taken by Marcin Olszyński, a young photographer from Warsaw, the image captures rural life during serfdom, a system that legally bound peasants to noble-owned land until its abolition in 1864.

The salted paper print, created from a glass collodion negative, is part of the Museum of Warsaw's collection and serves as an important historical document of 19th-century European social conditions.Olszyński’s approach aimed to portray rural society authentically rather than stage idealized scenes.

The photograph provides insight into the lived experiences of peasants during a period of significant societal change, reflecting both their daily realities and the broader context of agricultural labor in Poland at the time.