Past: How a professor created a laboratory where he taught his daughter and future bride

Content:

Context

Course with employment: "The profession of a Methodologist from scratch to PRO"

The study of organic chemistry became for me not only a personal desire, but also a necessity. My father, who conducted the exams, required me to write the answers not on paper, but on the boards placed in the chemistry room. This created additional pressure, as everyone present could observe the process. That's why I made every effort to prepare successfully. Respected experts such as K. I. Debu, V. I. Egorov, and A. I. Umnov, as well as our professors of qualitative and quantitative analysis, attended this exam as spectators. This emphasized the importance of the moment and added seriousness to my perception of organic chemistry.

About twenty people attended the exam, and my father called me last. I got a lucky ticket: the topics concerned aldehydes and ketones, their methods of preparation and properties, as well as pyrogallol, an aromatic molecule. I filled the entire board with my notes and answered all the questions, which allowed my father to confidently give me a "very satisfactory" grade.

After passing the exam, I found a job in the organic chemistry lab and soon began my work. The working conditions in this lab were excellent. Each employee was provided with a separate desk, equipped with the necessary equipment and utensils. The list of issued items included approximately seventy items. The laboratory had sufficient stands with a variety of rings and clamps of various sizes, as well as water and air baths, a set of drills, knives, scissors, clamps, gas stoves, and numerous burners. These amenities facilitated the high-quality conduct of experiments and research work.

The book "The Favorskys. The Life of a University Professor's Family. 1890-1953" was written by T. A. Favorskaya and published by St. Petersburg State University in 2019. The author's memoirs immerse the reader in the world of the professor's family, revealing details of their daily life and scientific work in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The text contains valuable historical information that will help understand the context of the time in which the Favorskys lived. This publication will be useful not only for historians and researchers, but also for anyone interested in the culture and education of that period. The book is an important contribution to preserving the memory of outstanding personalities and their influence on the development of science and education in Russia.

Context

The memoirs belong to the Soviet chemist Tatyana Alekseevna Favorskaya (1890–1986). She managed to complete her education at the Higher Courses for Women in St. Petersburg before the revolution. Her father, Aleksey Evgrafovich Favorsky (1860–1945), was a renowned organic chemist and taught at these courses. Aleksey Evgrafovich began his career as a university lecturer in 1891, and in 1899 he became a full professor. He worked in the department of St. Petersburg, and then Leningrad University, until the end of his life. Tatyana Alekseevna and her father's contributions to chemistry left a noticeable mark on the scientific community.

In 1900, Favorsky received an offer to teach classes in the chemistry department of the Bestuzhev Higher Courses for Women. He stated that the main requirements were the creation of a laboratory for practical work and the provision of adequate funding for it. The creation of the laboratory became a key moment for improving the quality of education and practical training of female students in the field of chemistry.

Higher Women's Courses, organic chemistry laboratory, 1903. Photo: "Album of the Higher Women's Courses. 25 Years" / Karl Bulla Photo Studio / St. Petersburg State University / "The History of Russia in Photographs"

The first laboratories in women's courses were organized by the famous chemist Alexander Butlerov. Among the professors who advocated for women to study chemistry was Dmitri Mendeleev. He not only lectured at the courses but also donated significant sums to the development of the educational institution. Despite these efforts, many continued to underestimate the importance of scientific education for women. The training provided to female students was often educational in nature, rather than preparing them for professional scientific work. This underscores the need to further promote women's participation in science and education in chemistry.

A. A. Yakovkin, a highly qualified specialist in inorganic chemistry, conducted scientific work at the Technological Institute. He lectured at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics to the same extent as at the institute, but did not consider it advisable to engage in research work during the courses. I. V. Bogomolets, who taught analytical chemistry, also did not conduct research. Physical chemistry, which had just become a new field of chemical science, was supervised by Alexandra Feofilaktovna Vasilyeva at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, but no research was conducted in this area. A similar situation was observed in other groups of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics: no active research was conducted in physics, mathematics, or other areas of the natural sciences. Favorskaya emphasizes the lack of serious scientific initiatives in these areas, which indicates the need to develop research programs and attract specialists to improve the level of scientific activity at educational institutions. Professor Favorsky successfully fulfilled his requirements and began teaching a full-fledged university curriculum to students. A year later, a new, fully equipped laboratory was ready, for which important equipment was purchased from abroad. Tatyana Favorskaya noted that the girls showed a keen interest in laboratory work, leading to an increase in the number of new female students wishing to specialize in chemistry. This growing popularity of chemistry among women underscores the importance of accessible and high-quality education in science.

The training of women in organic chemistry, organized by Alexey Evgrafovich, was soon recognized by the scientific community. He began receiving requests for recommendations of female chemists for positions at various institutions. All candidates who completed his training received high marks for their work. Alexey Evgrafovich's contribution to the development of chemistry education for women is difficult to overestimate. Many of his students became professors and doctors of chemical sciences, continuing the educational tradition and teaching a new generation of students.

The excitement surrounding the training of female specialists in chemistry reached such proportions that one laboratory was no longer sufficient. It was abandoned for scientific research, and a new laboratory was created for practical classes. It is this laboratory that Favorsky's daughter, who visited it in the 1910s, recounts in her memoirs. This period became an important stage in the development of female education in science, particularly in chemistry, which contributed to the attraction of more women to this field.

From the mid-19th century, women in the Russian Empire began to fight for equal rights in higher education. Despite persistent efforts, they were unable to fully realize this right at universities until the 1917 Revolution. As an alternative, higher courses for women were opened—private educational institutions that did not grant official professional rights to their graduates. However, these courses were also criticized and sometimes closed. More details on this historical process can be found in our previous materials. Opponents of female education argued that women's natural role is family and childcare, and that academic pursuits are supposedly contrary to their nature. Furthermore, there was a fear of competition, driven by concerns that the presence of women in universities would lead to chaos, take away academic positions from men, and might even make women more like men in their behavior and thinking. These preconceived notions reflected not only social stereotypes, but also a dislike of changes in the social order.

A group of female students at the Moscow Higher Courses for Women. In the center is teacher Alexander Kots. 1911 Photo: State Darwin Museum

The disdainful attitude toward women's education began to change in the early 20th century, especially after the revolutionary events of 1905, when private higher education courses received official sanction and became widely available. Five years later, the Bestuzhev Courses in St. Petersburg were recognized as equal to universities and became full-fledged higher education institutions. One of the active participants in this progressive process was Alexei Favorsky, who, according to his daughter, always considered the courses a "women's university." This step marked an important stage in the history of women's education in Russia, opening up new opportunities for their professional and personal growth.

In 1917, Tatyana Alekseyevna completed her education and began her career as a lecture assistant at the Third Petrograd University, which was a women's course. During this period, she worked actively in various laboratories, which contributed to her professional development. Tatyana Alekseevna subsequently achieved significant success and received the title of professor, an important step in her career.

Favorsky actively supported his daughter's educational path, acting not only as a university professor but also as a caring father. He monitored her academic progress, showing interest in her development. When Favorsky noticed his daughter had a lot of free time, he assigned her to translate articles for the journal of the Russian Chemical Society, where he worked as an editor. If he felt Tatyana was too absorbed in lab work, he insisted that she always come to lunch, convinced that there was ample time for studying from morning until 5 p.m. Lunch was held at their home at half past five.

In 1946, Tatyana Alekseevna Favorskaya was appointed professor in the Department of Organic Compound Structure in the Chemistry Department of Leningrad State University. Her contributions to the development of organic chemistry and her teaching left a noticeable mark on the academic community. Tatyana Alekseevna was actively involved in scientific research, which contributed to the enhanced reputation of the department and the university as a whole. Interestingly, having significantly influenced the education and destinies of an entire generation of women aspiring to become chemists, Favorsky deprived one of them, his second wife, Maria Markelovna Dombrova, of the opportunity to build a career. She was a student in Favorsky's first year and was among those fortunate enough to work in a real laboratory. Dombrova was one of the most outstanding and dedicated students. At the time of her marriage proposal, she was already working in the Ministry of Finance laboratory, having completed her studies. Despite her career achievements, Favorsky, according to his daughter's recollections, considered it inappropriate for Maria Markelovna to work after their wedding, and she agreed to leave her job. The couple soon had three children. Tatyana Favorskaya recalls that Dombrova was accustomed to working life and experienced difficulties at home. The first months after the birth of her children were difficult for her: she often worried, cried, and encountered problems such as difficulties with breastfeeding and misunderstandings about dishes prepared by the cook, for example, mistaking Brussels sprouts for kale. Among the arguments raised by opponents of female higher education is the fear that admitting women to universities could lead to an increase in premature and unequal marriages. It's worth noting that Favorskaya's story to some extent confirms this view. This underscores the importance of analyzing the impact of education on social relations and family values.