In the French cemetery in Berlin, a tombstone in the form of a boulder has been preserved, on which - partly polished - an inscription in gilded letters commemorates Daniel Chodowiecki. It commemorates an artist originally from Gdansk, from a family with - as he himself claimed - Wielkopolska roots.

Although Daniel Chodowiecki spent most of his life in Berlin, where he left in his seventeenth year to train as a merchant, he probably spoke Polish. In turn, he was certainly aware of his Polish roots and identified himself at least partly with them. After the last partition of Poland, he called himself "a descendant of a great nation that will soon cease to exist". He also acknowledged his French roots (on his mother's side).

In Chodowiecki's case, Polish roots are not just a matter of a few declarations. Polish themes also appear in his work. He was the author of the painting 'The Constitution of 3 May', but above all he published two calendars in 1796 and 1797 with Polish motifs - Polish rulers as well as Polish types and historical events were included. Finally, Polish motifs can be found in a series of drawings from 1773, which he made while staying with his mother in Gdansk. He also had his Berlin-born son Isaac Heinrich painted in Polish costume.

He became popular mainly for his drawings and prints, especially his illustrations to many well-known works. He was admitted to the Royal Prussian Academy of Fine Arts in 1764 and became its secretary in 1783, then rector, deputy director and finally director from 1797 to 1801.

Chodowiecki's work was appreciated not only by his contemporaries such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who wrote of the artist: "Chodowiecki is a highly respected and, we say, ideal artist. His good works certainly show his spirit and taste. In the circle in which he worked, nothing more ideal could be demanded", but also by many later artists, e.g. Stanley Kubrick admitted to being inspired by Chodowiecki's work.

In 2020, a short animation entitled. 'Chodowiecki', based on the life and work of Chodowiecki, its creator is Jakub Pączek. All scenes in the film were composed from animated graphics by Chodowiecki.