Egor Sergeevich Butrin,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, State Archive of the Ivanovo Region, Ivanovo, Russia, e‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
“Eternal Deposits” in Educational Institutions of Ivanovo-Voznesensk in the Late 19th – Early 20th Century
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-4-3
The article examines the phenomenon of “eternal contributions” in educational institutions using the example of Ivanovo-Voznesensk, one of the fastest-growing cities in the Russian Empire at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. By analyzing statistical data and official records from educational institutions, the article reveals the dynamics of student enrollment and characterizes their social composition. The author emphasizes the importance of the activities of special societies for helping poor students, but at the same time draws attention to the fact that they mostly provided students with textbooks, writing utensils, and cheap meals, as well as dormitories. The city authorities were the first to take care of paying for the education of children from low-income families: by 1916, they allocated funds from the budget to support 50 students annually. Starting in 1882, the phenomenon of “eternal deposits” emerged in Ivanovo‑Voznesensk; the interest from these deposits provided scholarships for “underprivileged” students. The period of establishment of educational endowments in the city lasted from 1882 to 1896. It was characterized by a limited number of deposits, most of which were established by the city authorities or school trustees in honor of various individuals’ anniversaries or significant national events. New trends in the development of scholarship funds emerged in the late 1890s, when the city’s business and industrial elite became involved in this endeavor, and scholarships were established by private individuals, commercial firms, and public institutions. Many of these scholarships were of a “memorial” nature, established to honor the memory of a deceased individual. The severe emotional turmoil and rapid inflation during the First World War did not lead to a decrease in charity, but rather to an increase, creating a kind of “scholarship fever” in 1915−1917.
Publishing: 28/08/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 23/01/2025
How to cite: Butrin E.S. “Eternal Deposits” in Educational Institutions of Ivanovo-Voznesensk in the Late 19th – Early 20th Century // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 4 (42), pp. 49−64. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-4-03.pdf]
Links: Issue 4 2025
Keywords: Ivanovo-Voznesensk; secondary education; “eternal deposit”; scholarship; charity; First World War