Bronisława Janowska

Life She was born to the noble family of Władysław Janowski Ślepowron coat of arms, a participant in the January Uprising against the Russian domination, and his wife Malwina z Borzęckich Półkozic coat of arms. Her older brother Stanisław Janowski (1866–1942), a second husband of famous dramatist Gabriela Zapolska, was also a painter; he taught her the basics of art-making. Bronisława studied painting in Munich from 1896 to 1902. Her works in oil were exhibited locally and in Lwów, where her solo show in 1927 featured 140 canvases; In 1939 she was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by the state.

Rychter-Janowska stopped painting during World War II due to vision-related problems. Her brother died in 1942. She adopted a girl, Matylda Janowska. They starved during the Nazi-Soviet occupation of Poland and little improved after liberation. She received a stipend from the Ministry of Culture, and died in Kraków on 29 September 1953 at the age of 85. For most of her adult life, she kept a diary.