Career Descent to the Bottom: Prostitution in Tsarist Russia

Visit the world of the Russian Empire before the revolution from the point of view of those who found themselves at the very bottom of the social ladder.

Anastasiya Mashchenko immerses the reader in the atmosphere of grim brothels and hidden dens, revealing the horrifying truth about the lives of girls who searched for easy money but were trapped by despair.

Anastasiya Mashchenko is a guide and researcher of everyday life in pre-revolutionary Russia, the author of historical blogs about Moscow.

Before the revolution, the doors of brothels and secret dens were open to any girl trying to quickly earn money. But promises of easy cash turned into an illusion: stepping across the threshold of these places meant losing control over one’s own life. Prostitutes were bought and sold, deprived of almost all earnings, and burdened with debts—locking them into houses of tolerance. Many couldn’t read or write, which made fighting injustice more difficult. Over time they became accustomed to the degrading environment and no longer strove to escape their situation.