Issue 1 (62)

HOSTESS’S CONCERNS: EVERYDAY LIFE OF A MARRIED NOBLEWOMAN IN A RUSSIAN PROVINCIAL TOWN IN THE LATE 19TH — EARLY 20TH CENTURIES
Year 2019 Number 1(62)
Pages 71-78 Type scientific article
UDC 94(470)“18/19” BBK 63.3(2)531
Authors Veremenko Valentina A.
Topic RUSSIAN PROVINCE: EVERYDAY LIFE HISTORY
Summary The article examines the changes that occurred in the economic activity of the Russian provincial townswoman — a representative of the privileged class in the post-reform period. Particular attention is drawn to two areas of family life — nutrition, which included the development of “hygienic menu”, the purchase of food and cooking, and ensuring acceptable living conditions. The author describes the requirements that provincial townswoman confronted with under new socio-economic conditions. On the one hand, the hostess had to create the most comfortable living conditions for family members, based on application of the latest knowledge in the field of sanitation and hygiene, as well as numerous technical innovations. On the other hand, for achieving this goal she was obliged to rely on the family material resources inadequate to deal with existing needs. Savings on domestic workers and application of special devices in housekeeping forced the hostess to be more actively involved in performing many household tasks. At the same time, these new responsibilities turned out to be especially difficult for intelligent noblewomen, brought up on the idea of priority of public service and the national good. For such provincial townswomen, the image of a social activist rather than a “domestic slaveˮ was much more preferable.
Keywords provincial townswoman, noble-intellectual families, hostess, nutrition, housing, family budget, servants, sanitary and hygienic norms
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