In the works of Russian writers late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, the phrase “yellow ticket” is sometimes mentioned. What is this? It is not difficult for today’s reader to guess this from the context, and at the time of writing the stories, novels and novels of Dostoevsky, Bunin and Tolstoy, all adults (children, as a rule, were protected from indecent information about the vicious sides of life) knew that this is an indispensable attribute of a woman, selling her own body.
Replacement document
Get a yellow ticket at Russian Empire Any woman of reproductive age could, forced to do so by life circumstances or for other reasons. To do this, it was necessary to express such a desire, write a corresponding petition and hand over your passport to the police station at your place of residence. From that moment on, the passport was no longer needed; it was replaced by a booklet consisting of eight pages with a lemon-colored cover. In addition to the voluntary “indemnification”, there was also a compulsory procedure that was in force in the event of being caught engaging in an ancient profession, even if it was just a one-time event. This could have happened during a raid, following a denunciation from a landlady, a jealous wife, or another person who provided the details of a woman engaged in indecent activities without registration.
The yellow ticket contained the following information on its four spreads:
- Cover - the inscriptions “Replacement document” and “Inspection ticket”.
- The first spread is a passport size photo, first name, last name, place and date of birth.
- Then the approved rules for the supervision of public women, consisting of thirteen points, were printed.
- Pages five through seven listed the sixteen paragraphs of the “Rules of Conduct” that were mandatory.
- The last, eighth, served as medical control marks, certifying the health of the prostitute and her absence of sexually transmitted diseases. The police supervised the regularity of inspections. This was done for state reasons, to prevent epidemics.
A one-way ticket
In Russia, trading one’s body has always been considered a shameful activity, and by exchanging a passport for a “yellow ticket”, the woman understood that, although the reverse move is theoretically possible, although it is associated with lengthy bureaucratic red tape, in practice this is almost impossible to achieve. Despite quite high level law-abiding, there were some ladies of easy virtue who tried to engage in this trade illegally, leaving themselves the chance to quit it and become “honest” again. Cooperation with law enforcement agencies could have saved some of them from police prosecution. The criminal investigation and other gendarmerie units used the services of seksots (secret employees), including prostitutes, who were very valuable sources of information. Clients often, after drinking too much, blurted out to their girlfriends for one night various relevant information from the life of the criminal world or prohibited organizations, including terrorist ones.
Working under secret supervision allowed some of the prostitutes to hide their shameful occupation even from their relatives. Such passport holders did not need a “yellow ticket”, and they had to take care of their health on their own.
Substitute ticket- because of his yellow color which also had an unofficial name among the people yellow ticket- was an alternative document to a passport, which in the Russian Empire gave the right to legally engage in prostitution.
Story
Inspection book so-called. The “replacement ticket” consisted of 8 pages (4 spreads), on the last of which medical notes were placed ( "Doctor's Note"), and the first one contained a photograph of a prostitute; on the second spread were placed "Supervision Rules"(13 points), and pages 5, 6 and 7 occupied "Rules for public women"(16 points) .
If you want to engage in an ancient profession, it’s fine, but be kind enough to register with the police, hand over your passport, and instead receive the famous “yellow ticket” - official evidence that this woman is no longer among the “decent” ones, and that the police are not only can, but is even obliged to organize regular medical examinations. It was very easy to become a victim of this order - to do this, it is enough to get caught at least once with a client during a police raid or simply, as a result of a denunciation from the landlord. Having a yellow ticket in hand, a woman had the right to earn a living only with her body. It was difficult to get my passport back, and there was no need - who needed a former “walker”. [ ]
However, in Russia all supervised prostitutes were divided into open and secret [ ] . And only the first received the notorious “yellow ticket.” The second category of pre-revolutionary “moths” were subject to secret supervision, and their activities “remained secret even to relatives.”
Idiom
“Yellow ticket” is an offensive statement about a woman.
Leo Tolstoy ( “So what should we do? ») the heroine mentions the document.
In recent decades, everyone has been actively discussing the issue of prostitution. How to deal with her and her patrons from law enforcement agencies? How to protect society from asocial elements? How to treat prostitutes, some of whom have become hostages of circumstances? Everyone considers it their duty to speak out on this topic, even if they have only seen prostitutes in cartoons. Polarization public opinion The gay pride parade approaching Moscow is also spurring this on, but gay pride parades are a separate conversation.
Some argue that we should not fight this phenomenon, but legalize it. That is, there will still be no decrease in those wishing to use the services of prostitutes, but this way it will be possible to somehow control this business, receive taxes from it, not to mention medical books and employment contract for female workers the oldest profession ! And by increasing the quality, you will increase prices and, accordingly, contributions to the budget.
A strange monument to a prostitute "Shop of Vice" on the outskirts of Prague
Now in Russia it is difficult for many to imagine such legalization for moral and ethical reasons, and I understand this. As in the case of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, gambling and other means of satisfying needs of varying degrees of depravity, this will always be a stumbling block for at least two points of view.
But has Russia always shunned the moral laxity of its distant red-light district? Let's rewind 2 paragraphs back, where I called prostitution the oldest profession. Usually this phraseological unit is used rather as a joke, but it turns out that there were prostitutes in the Russian Empire. Moreover, their activities were absolutely legal and each of the workers had a document allowing them to do this!
Yellow ticket allowing you to legally engage in prostitution
A “yellow ticket” was issued to prostitutes instead of a passport. It would not be very pleasant now to catch the grins of police officers looking at such a crust in our time :) The document consisted of 8 pages, contained medical notes, rules for supervision, rules for public women, and on the first spread there was a photo of a citizen of a prostitute. A ticket was issued when decent girls were caught red-handed fried. This led to the surrender of the passport, and with such a document the woman was doomed to sell her body and undergo regular police checks. This yellow ticket also appeared in “Crime and Punishment”; Sonechka Marmeladova had such a ticket; as we know from the plot of the book, Raskolnikov was not greatly embarrassed by the fact of the existence of this piece of paper.
Maybe it's time to introduce such a compulsory document? If you want to earn money with your body, please, but be kind enough to get a yellow ticket with doctor’s notes. Or should we push the profession to the end, to the last pimp? But who then will provide thousands of girls with a decent education and work, who will allow a fallen teacher to approach their child? What are your thoughts on this topic?
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In a bright way The infernal woman in Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” is Sonya Marmeladova, for whom there are no life rules, no life boundaries, no social rules. Her life is accompanied yellow. The man she loves is a killer, but with his own, unusual and very different from others, views on life. Despite the fact that Sonechka Marmeladova went with the “yellow ticket,” she in many ways personifies the Mother of God and Child, where Raskolnikov is the child.
The revelation of the image of Sonya Marmeladova is facilitated by the analysis of the heroine’s portrait. With the help of a portrait, we can determine the thoughts of the heroine, with the help of a description of her appearance or clothing, we determine her character traits and manner of behavior. First of all, you need to pay attention to Sonya's clothes. She is wearing burnous
(this is “a cape and outerwear different types, male and female, as if in the Arabic image, with wide sleeves"). In order to depict traditional clothes Maria - maforius
(Palestinian clothing married women), the burnous, which by that time was a fairly common type of clothing, is most suitable. Green scarf –
at all, green as the color of green life, is directly related to the image of the Mother of God, the Prayer and Intercessor before the Lord for man and the earth, for every earthly creature. For example, the famous icon “He rejoices in you”, coming from the workshop of Dionysius (now located in Tretyakov Gallery) depicts the Mother of God sitting on a throne in Glory, surrounded by blue and green circles radiating from the throne. If you remember Sonya’s almost colorless, soft, fluffy hair, then it’s quite clear nimbus
– on the icons there is a radiance in the form of a small circle above the head of God and the saints; symbol of holiness, divinity. Then the green scarf can represent "Glory". Almost all depict the Mother of God in a bright green scarf.
Sonya is undoubtedly very strong woman, her decision to go with the “yellow ticket” did not break her soul, feelings, her life values, she remained the same sweet, gentle, kind, timid and understanding girl. Her love works wonders for Rodion, he admires and is angry with her at the same time. He is sorry that such a strong personality as Sonya became a prostitute, that she did not act according to her principles, that she acted immorally, but such is life... On the one hand, Sonya Marmeladova’s desperate decision to go with the “yellow ticket”, her desire to help her family, on the other hand, the impossibility of earning a living by honest work. The heroine is in the most hopeless situation, when even suicide is an unaffordable luxury. But at the same time, for some reason, Raskolnikov’s very important words for understanding the reasons for Sonya’s “crime” are forgotten: “... you are a sinner because you killed and betrayed yourself in vain. It wouldn’t be terrible that you live in this filth, which you hate so much, and at the same time you know yourself that you are not helping anyone and are not saving anyone from anything.”
Sonya, of course, cannot save anyone. This is the reason for her action. Insatiable compassion is what allows you to overcome it. In essence, her sacrifice is Christian. Who did Christ save by allowing himself to be crucified on the cross? Formally, no one. This idea of Christ is contained in the image of Sonya. The motive for her action is not the desire to save her loved ones, but the impossibility of saving them. She cannot help them, and she cannot calmly watch their suffering, she can only take on even more suffering than they do. But it is Sonya who is gifted with that spiritual power that helps her, while living in evil, remain in goodness and bring goodness to others. Faith in God gives her this strength. Sonya doesn’t often go to church - she feels awkward. But she deeply believes in God, and therefore in the highest justice and miracles that will change her life; she believes in the resurrection of Lazarus, for without this there will be no hope and faith in her own resurrection. Knowing the motive, we can condemn or justify the heroine’s action. Motive helps us understand the character's intention, his thoughts, his feelings.
There are no social rules for Sonya; she behaves against generally accepted rules. She is not like those around her, she always does as her heart tells her, especially in relation to Raskolnikov. She loves this man, she is ready to do anything for him, Sonechka wants to help him “be reborn”, she is always there, even if Rodion pushes her away. After all, not every woman “with a yellow ticket” can be compared to the Mother of God, not every woman will fall in love with a murderer and help him to be “born again,” but Sonya does just that.
Her image demands admiration - she was able to change with her love human soul. Sonya is not afraid of the reproaches of others: “Sonya is timid by nature, and first of all she knew that it was easier to destroy her than anyone else, and anyone could offend her, almost with impunity.” And still she doesn't show her fear. In life she “plays a game without rules” and she wins, receiving the most important thing in life - love. She is reborn together with Raskolnikov, only she is cleansed of the dirt of the “yellow ticket”.
On the pages of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, in historical references we can see references to the yellow ticket. What is it? Who was it given to? was it possible to get rid of it? What does it mean to "go with a yellow ticket?" Read the description and history of this unusual document that could be obtained instead of a passport.
What is it?
There was a period in Tsarist Russia when prostitution was controlled by the state and legalized. Brothels paid taxes, and the girls were given a corresponding document instead of a passport. It was called the "yellow ticket" because of its color.
Holders of such a ticket had no right to engage in another profession. And it was very difficult to return an ordinary passport, even if the girl decided to quit her craft. Special document forced me to regularly go for medical examinations and register at the police station.
The book contained health information, rules and included a photograph of a prostitute.
But of course, not everyone wanted to have such a document. Illegal brothels and illegal street girls also flourished, but with a certain degree of risk. Those caught doing this were forced to exchange their passports for a yellow ticket.
The expression “to go with a yellow ticket” in those days meant to get dealt, to become a girl of easy virtue.
Historical background
Prostitution, as we know, is the oldest profession. And in Russia it also existed, but not in its most developed form. The “overseas infection” flourished during the time of Peter the Great thanks to the “window to Europe.”
At the same time, the state’s official fight against this phenomenon began. In 1716, a decree was issued prohibiting fornication for money in military units. This was done to reduce sexually transmitted diseases. Punishments were introduced for military personnel who resort to the services of available women. And ladies caught red-handed were sent to prison.
All these measures did not give the expected result. In addition, the entire royal court was not distinguished by high morality and did not set the proper example.
Until the end of the 19th century, the unsuccessful fight against this evil continued, and then it was decided to place prostitution under state control. Now the girls were monitored by doctors and police, and body trafficking became a profession.
A vault appeared in brothels official rules. Prohibited gambling, but playing the piano was allowed. The owner of the house received three quarters of the money, one quarter went to the worker.
The age of prostitutes was also regulated. It was forbidden to start before the age of 16. At the beginning of the 20th century, the age limit moved to 21 years. But in reality, the rules were not always followed, and very young people could be found in brothels.
At the turn of the century there were about 2,500 official brothels and more than 15,000 workers. In addition, the same number of street girls worked with a yellow ticket.
After the revolution, an active struggle against the “petty-bourgeois evil” began. In a labor socialist society there was no place for girls of easy virtue. And prostitution again went deep underground.
Who lived on a yellow ticket?
Mostly girls from the poorest strata society. Often these were peasant or provincial women who came to the city to earn money. Some didn't want to do the grueling physical labor, but many were deceived, raped or fell below the poverty line.
Among the girls there were often maids seduced by the master, and factory workers seduced by the master. Finding themselves on the street with a damaged reputation, they did not know where to go. Here “caring” housewives were waiting for them, who first fed the outcasts, gave them shelter, and then gradually explained what kind of work they offered. Often the girls had no choice but to agree.
Occasionally among the prostitutes there were intellectuals or impoverished noblewomen. The cost of owning a beautiful, educated girl was higher, since they did not meet often.
Some of them received the yellow ticket on their own. And others, perhaps, did not plan to stay in the profession for a long time, but were caught with a client during a raid or became a victim of denunciation by the landlady.
Street fishing was considered the very bottom. Newcomers or those who could no longer work in a brothel went there. Women who have lost their beauty, are sick or have defects.
Yellow ticket in "Crime and Punishment"
From historical evidence and classical literature you can find out about tragic destinies girls who, out of need, entered the profession. The yellow ticket in “Crime and Punishment” was given to Sonya Marmeladova, an extremely positive heroine who found herself in difficult circumstances. The girl received the document through a denunciation.
In the book, Raskolnikov was able to love her despite this. But in life this happened rarely.
Of course, not all girls had a yellow ticket associated with hardship and suffering. Some in those days were glad that they did not have to ruin themselves with hard work in the factory. Someone thought that they were lucky - they had shelter, food, beautiful clothes, and a small income. And some women even managed to enjoy their profession.