What does it mean to live on a yellow ticket? Yellow ticket

Substitute ticket- due to its yellow color, it 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” was subject to secret supervision, and their activities “remained secret even to relatives.”

Idiom

“Yellow ticket” is an offensive statement about a woman.

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• // “New Look”: newspaper. - M., 2006. - No. 08. - P. 03.

Excerpt describing the Yellow Ticket

In the works of Russian writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the phrase “yellow ticket” is sometimes mentioned. What's 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

Any woman of reproductive age, forced to do so by life circumstances or for other reasons, could receive a yellow ticket in the Russian Empire. 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 the fairly high level of law-abidingness, 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.

On the pages of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, in historical references we can see references to the yellow ticket. What it is? 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 it is?

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. A special document forced me to regularly go for a medical examination and register with 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 reference

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 set of official rules appeared in brothels. Gambling was prohibited, 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 of society became prostitutes. Often these were peasant or provincial women who came to the city to earn money. Some did not want to do back-breaking physical labor, but many were cheated, raped, or pushed into poverty.

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 learn about the tragic fates of girls who, out of necessity, fell into 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.

(349 words)

End justifies the means? This is a question many people ask in various situations. Especially when they are forced to do unpleasant things in order to realize their plans. The goal may be noble, but will morality remain intact through the use of inhumane means? The social and philosophical novel “Crime and Punishment,” which instantly captured the attention of the public, raises this pressing issue and forces readers to speculate on this topic.

The main character is obsessed with his own theory about “creatures that tremble and have rights.” Will Raskolnikov be able to become an “extraordinary” person who is allowed to kill for a good purpose and not suffer from pangs of conscience - this is the question he is trying to answer for himself, for which purpose he deliberately commits murder. Rodion wants to help the poor and eliminate existing injustice. Justifying himself with such a noble goal, he remembers Napoleon, guilty of the death of millions, to whom, nevertheless, monuments are erected. Inspired by his mission, the theorist kills a rich old money-lender and, already in a state of passion, her pregnant sister Lizaveta. He understands that he is tormented by the crime he committed, and he cannot ignore the feeling of guilt. He gets sick, almost goes crazy, he has terrible dreams, and most of all he is afraid that his action will become known. The most terrible punishment for Raskolnikov is not hard labor, but pangs of conscience: “I killed myself, not the old woman.” The character chooses murder, robbery, recognizing people as material, but he himself suffers from this and gets rid of the stolen money with which he wanted to help the poor.

Another example: Dostoevsky’s favorite heroine in the same work, Sonya Marmeladova, is a quiet and defenseless girl who harbors immeasurable love for people, especially her loved ones. The Marmeladov family lives in poverty: Sonya's father drinks, stepmother Katerina Ivanovna is seriously ill, three children need to be fed. Sonya lives “on a yellow ticket” to earn money. Her goal is noble, because the girl is trying to help not herself, but her dear people, but it is too hard for her to remain in such filth. Sonya manages to maintain purity and morality in herself, but Raskolnikov notices that she is also a sinner, only her sin is that she betrayed and killed herself in vain.

Thus, both characters chose a humane intention, but inhumane means to achieve it. The entire novel refutes Raskolnikov’s theory and shows how difficult it was for Sonya Marmeladova. Dostoevsky emphasizes his position: no goal can justify inhumane means.

In the Russian Empire, in return for documents lost or confiscated by government agencies (police, gendarmerie, mayor, etc.), a special replacement ticket was issued. At that time, there were no unified internal passports. Their role was often played by residence permits, which were voluntarily and compulsorily exchanged for “replacement tickets.” The most famous type of replacement ticket was the so-called yellow ticket.

This replacement ticket gets its unofficial name from its yellow color. In the Russian Empire, it was issued to women of the oldest profession and gave them the right to engage in prostitution.

When a girl was caught red-handed, or if the landlord reported her, her documents were taken away and a yellow ticket was issued in their place. In addition, any woman could receive this document on a voluntary basis, choosing the profession of a prostitute. She had the legal right to do this, but only after replacing her identity document with the famous “yellow ticket.”

This document indicated that its owner was no longer considered “decent”, and that she must undergo regular medical examinations. The girl with the “yellow ticket” was doomed to lifelong trading of her body and constant police checks. It was very difficult, if not impossible, to get a normal document back. However, only a few tried to do this, because no one needed a woman with a tarnished reputation.

The ticket consisted of 8 pages, that is, 4 spreads. On the first spread there was a photo of the owner of the document, on the second - 13 points of the rules for supervision. On the next 3 pages, 16 points of rules for public women were printed, and the last page was occupied by medical notes.

The ticket girl was obliged to attend the bathhouse; she was forbidden to evade a medical examination. Plus, she wasn't allowed to wear makeup. However, strict rules did not cancel some loyalty on the part of the authorities. The girl could come for inspection under a veil, and the instructions for the detective departments instructed each rank to be polite and restrained in handling ticket tickets.

To be fair, it is worth noting that in Russia at that time there were open and secret prostitutes. Only the first category was “gifted” with a yellow ticket. The second was under secret surveillance, and even relatives were not aware of their type of activity.

Even a special offensive word “yellow ticket” was coined, which demonstrated a negative attitude towards a particular woman.

The yellow ticket often appears in the literature of those times. So, for example, in the work of L. Tolstoy, the heroine complains: “Who will take me with a yellow ticket?” In F. Dostoevsky’s famous novel “Crime and Punishment,” Sonechka Marmeladova had such a ticket.