Merchants and Technological Progress (A Case Study of the Vologda Governorate during the Second Half of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries)

Abstract

This article shows, based on a detailed analysis of both archival and published sources (including the periodical “Vologodskie Gubernskie Vedomosti” (‘Vologda Provincial Gazette’)), how Vologda merchants used various technological advancements in their business and daily practices during the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the Russian Empire, it was the time of rapid science and technology development, with innovations becoming increasingly integrated into everyday life. The merchants of the Vologda Governorate, like those in other regions, were the early adopters of this progress, adjusting and exploiting the changes for their benefit. In the 1850s–1860s, they already actively used machinery and equipment, some imported from England, to facilitate industrial manufacturing and ease commercial operations. In the 1870s–1890s, they opened photography studios and began utilizing telephone communications. During the 1880s, electric lighting made its debut in the Vologda Governorate, which was at a distillery owned by the heirs of the merchant I.A. Pervushin. The emergence of electric theaters in the region is also associated with the efforts of local merchants. In the early 20th century, cinematography flourished, with M.D. Pervushin’s electric theater “Apollo” being one of the best in Vologda. Besides, the merchant class was at the forefront of promoting the use of cars, and among the first seven car owners in Vologda was the merchant D.I. Titov.