Explanatory dictionaries define “artisanal production (craft)” as follows:
“A form of production in which work is performed by a home-based artisan at home, and the products are intended for sale not to a specific customer or consumer, but on the market; The first characteristic distinguishes cottage industry from factory production, and the second from artisanal production. Important sectors of the cottage industry include the following: linen production, cotton weaving, nail-making, knife-making, lock-making, hardware-making, samovar-making, cloth-making, knitting, lace-making, silk weaving, furniture-making, wheel-making, coffin-making, wooden tableware, leather shoe-making, glove-making, bristle-making, pottery, the production of agricultural implements, icon painting, picture coloring, etc. Artisanal production sometimes develops from craft production, but more often serves as a sideline to agriculture.”
Until 1917, this type of cottage industry was quite widespread throughout the territory of what was then the Russian Empire. The products of these artisans were sold, among other places, at numerous fairs. The first attempt to systematize and study the cottage industry was made as early as 1850, when the Ministry of State Property commissioned special commissions to gather information on all peasant crafts. And in 1877, in our beloved city, a special Commission for the Study of the Artisanal Industry in the province was established under the Kharkiv Provincial Statistical Committee. The result of many years of work, made possible by financial support from the provincial zemstvo, was a unique publication titled “Proceedings of the Commission for the Study of Cottage Industries in the Kharkiv Province.”
The first volume, published in 1882, was devoted to the Sumy Uyezd. It contained a brief statistical and economic overview and a description of local and itinerant handicrafts, as well as some of the district’s agricultural activities (the cultivation of hemp, tobacco, etc.). The second volume provided a detailed description of pottery, basketry, and certain other trades in the Kupyansk District. It also addressed a topic that remains relevant—and tragic—to this day: the destruction of the district’s communal forests by peasants. The third volume contained an overview of the trades in the Akhtyrsky District, such as pottery, tanning, blacksmithing, and the weaving of plahts. In addition to historical, technological, and statistical data on all these trades, the authors also compiled detailed lists of the artisans themselves and included information about them.
At that time, people in Kharkiv and the province fully understood that cottage industries were one of the most important sectors contributing to the people’s well-being. Therefore, considerable attention was paid to cottage industries in our city during the period from September 23 to October 12, 1887. Let me remind you that during that period, Kharkiv hosted the All-Russian Agricultural Exhibition, which:
1. It was the first event of its kind in the province.
2. To host the event, 51 pavilions were specially erected on an area of more than 20 hectares near the city center—in the University Garden and on the adjacent vacant lot of the Veterinary Institute (now Shevchenko Garden and Freedom Square), 51 pavilions were specially constructed.
3. As a result of the competitions, 97 gold, 162 large and 274 small silver, 368 bronze medals, and 320 certificates of merit were awarded.
4. Over the course of the event, more than 100,000 people visited the Kharkiv exhibition.
5. The exhibition itself not only broke even but also generated a significant profit. From ticket sales alone, the organizers earned 28,000 rubles. According to contemporaries, “The Kharkiv Exhibition served as further proof that exhibitions can pay for themselves without requiring significant expenditures from the state treasury.”
Without exaggeration, the exhibition’s enormous display was divided into nine thematic sections. Section VII was devoted entirely to handicrafts and was divided into four extensive subsections, namely:
- Processing of minerals, clay, and metals.
- Processing of plant-based products.
- Animal treatments.
- The Department of Mixed and More Complex Manufacturing.
These, in turn, were further subdivided into 46 groups.
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ivan Osipovich Fesenko, personally oversaw the event and truly went to great lengths to attract as many exhibitors as possible. However, there were, of course, some unpleasant moments as well.
- Visitors to the exhibition had to tour the handicrafts section at no fewer than five different locations. Specifically, in a special pavilion, in the agricultural and machinery sections, as well as in the pavilions of the Poltava and Zmiiv zemstvos.
- The exhibition featured numerous exhibitors from the most remote regions (Turkestan, the Caucasus, the Urals, and the Solovetsky Islands). However, due to the hasty organization and the scarcity of knowledgeable experts, it was completely impossible to form even a reasonably complete picture not only of the handicraft industry in the Russian Empire, but also in the Kharkiv Governorate itself.
- The items, both in the catalog and at the exhibition itself, were arranged by the organizers in a haphazard and completely unsystematic manner.
- The handicraft section turned out to have quite a few exhibitors who had no connection to handicrafts, since it was difficult to draw a clear distinction between handicraft and factory production. Even the terms “artisan” and “handcrafted item” were often used by factory owners to draw attention to their products.
There were also positive aspects and developments, the most important of which, according to critics, was that:
“The handicrafts section of the Kharkiv Exhibition, in particular, highlighted for the first time—in the most tangible way—a completely new economic phenomenon in the field of our handicraft industry, which deserves the utmost attention and thorough analysis—both its positive and negative aspects—in order to determine measures for supporting and developing handicraft industries.”
Let’s take a look at the “artisans” from our city and region whose works were on display in the handicrafts section.
To the left of the main entrance to the handicraft pavilion was a separate display case dedicated to one of the leading figures in Kharkiv’s furriery trade, Mr. Trabsky. The entire display was tastefully arranged. In addition to various furs, Trabsky also displayed extremely original furniture that he had crafted himself: a sofa, an oval table, large and small armchairs, round side tables, footstools, and a large mirror.
All of them were trimmed with seal and fur seal fur, and the backs and legs were made of polished bull horns. Needless to say, such exclusive, one-of-a-kind furniture attracted a great deal of attention from all the visitors. On the very first day of the exhibition, Trabsky not only managed to sell the entire set of furniture for 800 rubles—a considerable sum for those times—but also received numerous orders for the future. At the conclusion of the exhibition “For Fur Tanning and the Use of Fur in Upholstery Made from Bull Horns,” he was awarded a bronze medal.
Among the paper crafts, one could not miss the exquisite replica of the Kharkiv Cathedral, crafted by Mr. Naumenko. In addition to its exceptional craftsmanship, this exhibit also drew attention because all parts of the cathedral were proportioned accurately both on the exterior and the interior. And if you looked inside through the windows, you could see the cathedral’s entire interior.
Among the timepieces on display, the exhibits by Kharkiv watchmaker Yegor Stepanovich Yakovlev stood out. He presented several elegant paperweight clocks and his most important invention—pedometer canes. Unfortunately, no images of them have survived to this day, but a description has been preserved. “These canes are fitted with a mechanism that allows one, while walking and tapping the cane evenly on the ground, to count the number of steps taken; these pedometers will likely find wide use among surveyors and travelers, and perhaps even in military affairs, where they may prove useful in determining various distances.”
Among the musical instruments, the works of two Kharkiv craftsmen—Albert Alexandrovich Kovar and Konstantin Nikolaevich Bastien—stood out. The former’s wind instruments were superb in terms of craftsmanship and musical qualities and were highly prized by connoisseurs. The latter’s string instruments, meanwhile, were distinguished by their craftsmanship and certain unique intrinsic qualities. So it is no surprise that, “For the production of stringed musical instruments—violins and cellos,” Konstantin Nikolaevich Bastien was awarded the exhibition’s highest honor—a large silver medal—as a special exception.
Mikhail Sergeyevich Mityushin, a glove maker from Kharkiv, was also honored with the exhibition’s top award. The gloves he crafted were so exquisite that they sold like hotcakes throughout the entire exhibition. Swedish and reindeer-hide gloves were particularly popular with buyers. Grand Duchess Ekaterina Mikhailovna was so impressed by their quality that she ordered two dozen for herself.
The blacksmithing section at the exhibition was very sparse—only four artisans displayed their work. However, our city managed to stand out there as well. After all, Kharkiv was represented at the exhibition by a female blacksmith, Tatyana Eremenkova. The organizers set up a special forge just for her near the entrance to the handicrafts pavilion, where she crafted horseshoes, axes, door hinges, and other items right before the eyes of the entire audience.
Among the brick works, particular attention was drawn to a very beautiful group of pieces by Engineer Baron Bergenheim, which were admitted to the exhibition outside of the competition. The entire collection was tastefully displayed outdoors near the handicrafts pavilion and consisted of several enormous colonnades and vases created from bricks of various sizes, as well as floor and sidewalk tiles. By that time, Baron Bergenheim’s factory—well-known to many residents of our city—was particularly renowned for its special refractory brick, which, thanks to its properties, outperformed even cast iron in blast furnaces. And its composition, of course, was kept a closely guarded secret.
Of course, that’s not all. After all, there were quite a few wonderful and distinguished artisans from our city and region who received awards and stood out for their products at the 1887 exhibition. And for many, simply participating became their ticket to the future.
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