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Primary sourcePhotographc. 1890

Władysław Skłodowski with his Daughters Maria, Bronisława and Helena

c. 1890

A family photograph from Marie Curie's Warsaw childhood showing her father, a teacher and scientist, with her and two of her sisters.

Shows Marie Curie as a young woman in Warsaw with her father and sisters, before her move to Paris.

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Black-and-white studio portrait of four people. A bald, bearded older man in a suit sits holding a cane, with a hat on his knee. Three young women stand around him in dark dresses; one holds a parasol and another holds a hat.
Władysław Skłodowski with his daughters Maria, Bronisława and Helena, c. 1890. Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum, Warsaw.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph of Władysław Skłodowski, a Polish teacher, biologist and translator, together with his daughters Maria, Bronisława and Helena. It dates from around 1890, during the family's years in Warsaw, and is held by the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum in Warsaw.

Why it matters

Władysław Skłodowski was Marie Curie's father and, as a science teacher, gave her an early grounding in the subjects she would later master. The photograph also shows her sisters, including Bronisława, whose support helped make Marie's move to study in Paris possible. It is a reminder that her scientific career grew out of a family that valued education.

Look closer

  • What can you tell about the family's social position from their clothing and the studio setting?
  • Why might a family choose to have a formal portrait like this taken?
  • What does the photograph not tell you about the family's daily life?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Marie Curie on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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