Gallery 5: ENCOUNTERS WITH MODERNITY, 1772–1914
Judyta Jakubowicz (1749–1829) was the third wife of Shmul Zbytkower, one of Warsaw’s wealthiest Jews at the turn of the 18th century and a protegé of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Together with her husband, she was active in business and banking. After he died in 1801, she took over and became one of the largest military purveyors in the Duchy of Warsaw. An exceptionally talented entrepreneur, she was the owner of a banking and trading house and maintained business contacts with banks in St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Vienna. Her story is shown in a film, set within a gold frame, on the wall of a salon inspired by the one that she hosted in Warsaw.