Art Nouveau Economic Behavior in the Discourse of the Russian Press

Abstract. The article is devoted to the analysis of the Russian press, which recorded changes in the material foundations of the everyday life of the urban middle class, at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. The article focuses on various sources of income and female employment, consumer preferences and household organization. These issues were actively covered in the press. Some publications perceived “American entrepreneurship” with its unconditional faith in the dollar as the standard to be strived for, others preferred “French cost-effectiveness”. At the same time, the aristocratic ideal of elegance and service was actively promoted, which was poorly coordinated with bourgeois mercantilism and prudence. This was especially distinguished by publications designed for the wealthiest readers and representatives of bohemia. In fact, they formed a skepticism about the ideals of rationality and the utilitarian perception of wealth. Such divergence in the estimates reflected the realities of the economic behavior of different urban layers in the modern era.

Keywords: economic behavior, art Nouveau style, bourgeois values.