This small temporary exhibit in the 19th Century Art Gallery is devoted to distinguished Pole, politician, author and historian Joachim Lelewel (1786-1861). Lelewel was an author of pioneering writings on history, the history of writing and bookselling, and the history of cartography (maps) and numismatics (coins). He worked in Warsaw and Vilnius, where he was professor of history at the University of Vilnius. After the fall of the November Uprising, he stayed briefly in France before moving to Brussels in 1833, where he would spent 28 years of his extremely busy life. His scientific achievements in numismatics from that time brought the Polish scholar international recognition and fame.

Lelewel was also an amateur printmaker, hand-crafting illustrations for his publications. This exhibit presents over 230 of his engravings alongside selected titles of Lelewel's most outstanding works, in which one can see graphic prints made from them - maps, numismatic charts or copies of woodcuts illustrating Polish old prints, as well as numerous drawings and paintings that served as models for his work. The exhibit also includes family portraits and personal keepsakes, presented against the backdrop of the scholar's biography.