В поисках легких денег: торговля алкоголем купчихами Центрального Черноземья в конце XIX – начале XX века

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At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, female merchants in the Central Chernozem region of Russia actively participated in the wine trade, selling a variety of alcoholic beverages including wines, vodka, beer, and honey-based spirits. The author identified 2,342 female merchants who lived in the Voronezh, Kursk, Orel and Tambov provinces during this period, with approximately 5,9 % of them engaged in the wine trade. The majority of them conducted their wine businesses independently, without the assistance of male relatives, and obtained guild and trade certificates in their own names. They operated both wholesale establishments, such as warehouses, and retail outlets like wine shops, grocery stores, and imported wine cellars. Additionally, they sold alcoholic beverages in drinking establishments, inns, and restaurants. After the introduction of the state wine monopoly in Russia in 1894, female merchants competed with state-owned wine shops. The state wine monopoly was gradually introduced across the regions of Russian Empire. It was introduced in the Voronezh and Kursk provinces on July 1, 1900, and in the Orel and Tambov provinces on July 1, 1902. Along with the occupation of the wine trade, female merchants diversified their business activities by engaging in industrial production. They owned distilleries, candle factories, oil mills, textile factories, and flourmills, and were also engaged in usury practices.