"The victims of medical experiments- knitting" by Jadwiga Pietkiewicz

There were no privileges for so called "rabbits" or "guinea pigs" - the young Polish women, political prisoners on whom Nazi Doctors conducted medical experiments.
Like the rest of incarcerated women in the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, they had to work for 6 days per week from 7AM till 7PM.
To meet the war efforts the Third Reich needed every pair of hands, and concentration camps had abundance of them regardless of age, physical disability or sickness.
Mrs. Pietkiewicz who herself suffered from spine injuries, lived and worked together with the "rabbits" in the same block. She made the sketches to commemorate those victims suffering from the post operation trauma.

"The camp prayer-Ravensbruck" by Jadwiga Pietkiewicz The text under the picture is in Polish. It is a fragment of the prisoners prayer by Urszula Winska. Translated from Polish it can be read:

"Our Father, Who art in heaven, Thou see the misery of our homeless life Take Thy children under Lord's guardianship and silence the tears, which cloud our souls. Hallowed be Thy Name, here in the foreign land where, brutally yanked from family homes and among enemies, secretly we must pray. Thy Will be done! In humility we call and believe that the suffering and the joy come from Thee. My Lord!"

Translated by Jarek Gajewski

The portrait of Henryka Stanecka née Prus (prisoner No. 11458) was made by Maja Berezowska, a former prisoner of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp (No. 11197), during their imprisonment in 1944. In translation from Polish, the inscription on the portrait reads: ‘Our angelic Heniusia – Maja Rv.44.’ The picture depicts Henryka as a nurse in the camp rivier (the camp hospital), where she worked as a prisoner from December 1943.

"Jadzinko - dearest rabit, I wish You the star and the new-born Jesus bring you health and the hope for returning home."

The rabit ("królik" in Polish language or "guine pig" in English) is the symbol of a person on whom medical experiments were conducted in Ravensbruck KL. (Translators' comment). The postcard was made for Jadwiga Dzido by her fellow-inmate.

The note with nameday wishes of the happy return to the free motherland, from Jadwiga Solecka to Jadwiga Dzido. Signed "from shoemaker to shoemaker". Both the inmates had been forced to make shoes from straw for German soldiers.

Portret of Genowefa Man shortly after her operation. She was one of the Kaninnchen or Króliki. The portret was made by Jadwiga Pietkiewicz.