CITY CABMEN OF THE END OF THE XIX-XX CENTURIES: STROKES TO THE PORTRAIT OF SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROUP
Article is about the life of city cabmen of XIX - the beginning of the XX centuries in the context of studying of influence of cartage on formation of special city provincial culture. The article considered various aspects of daily occurrence of this social and professional group on the basis of a wide complex of sources. For citizens use of cabs made a usual element of everyday life. Besides the cab driving was not simply a vehicle, but also definition of the status of the person. Cabmen were available to both city elite, and middle classes. The cartage had considerable impact on formation of special city culture. The fact that long time animal-drawn transportation was an uncontested vehicle often caused the neglect of cabmen to the carried-out duties. Emergence of numerous instructions for cabmen testified that in this sphere there were problems which local authorities tried to solve by means of the publication of rules, but isn't always successful. A certain estrangement of cabmen from city sociocultural infrastructure, founds reflection in the relation to the city authority, in particular, to police. Demand for carrying in the second half of the XIX century exceeded the offer in connection with big flow to the city of new people. Only at the end of XIX - the beginning of the XX centuries the mass means of transport urged to satisfy the increasing city requirements began to appear: stagecoach, horse tram, tram. For those times growth of number of cab drivers was an indicator of development and hardening of specific city life. At the beginning of the XX century new means of transport: horse tram, bicycles, cars and tram gradually succeeded cabmen. The cabmen who only partially interned in a cultural urban environment consigned to the past.