The merchant of the second guild Fyodor Chudinovsky was the chairman of Mariinsk City Parliament from 1900 to 1904 and a trustee of the cemetery church in the name of All Saints. In Mariinsk, he had a ironmonger’s store on 13, Bazarnaya Street (now Socialisticheskaya). The merchant also had a point of sale on Bazarnaya Square, where his son Semen worked. There was a two-story wooden house next to the shop where Chudinovsky rented out furnished apartments. It has not been preserved for today as it burned down in the mid-1990s.
The merchants took leading positions in the trade, economic and political development of Mariinsk. The city center is still full of buildings that were constructed at the expense of merchants, and there is a whole collection of exhibits related to merchants in the museum.
The handmade carved table, belonged to Fyodor Chudinskykh, is made of larch. It includes upper board, quadrangular frame and four short massive table-legs in the shape of faceted vases. The table has carved drawers with metal openwork handles — one drawer in the middle and four on the sides. The merchant used them to keep his belongings. The writing table was in the Chudinovskykhs’ study. According to a few memories, after a long working day, he used to sit there, drinking tea and reading “papers”: news, trade almanac and a guide to trade.
Such a table was an important part of the interior in merchants’ houses. Like any other expensive furniture with hand-carved decor, merchants usually bought it at large fairs that were held in Novonikolayevsk and Krasnoyarsk.
In the old days, they believed that natural wood always looked reputable, so it was highly appreciated. Furniture made of expensive woods usually served for many generations and became a family heirloom.
The writing table and other pieces of furniture: a mirror, a gramophone stand, a shelf and a wardrobe — were given to the history museum by the merchant’s relatives who still live in Mariinsk.
The merchants took leading positions in the trade, economic and political development of Mariinsk. The city center is still full of buildings that were constructed at the expense of merchants, and there is a whole collection of exhibits related to merchants in the museum.
The handmade carved table, belonged to Fyodor Chudinskykh, is made of larch. It includes upper board, quadrangular frame and four short massive table-legs in the shape of faceted vases. The table has carved drawers with metal openwork handles — one drawer in the middle and four on the sides. The merchant used them to keep his belongings. The writing table was in the Chudinovskykhs’ study. According to a few memories, after a long working day, he used to sit there, drinking tea and reading “papers”: news, trade almanac and a guide to trade.
Such a table was an important part of the interior in merchants’ houses. Like any other expensive furniture with hand-carved decor, merchants usually bought it at large fairs that were held in Novonikolayevsk and Krasnoyarsk.
In the old days, they believed that natural wood always looked reputable, so it was highly appreciated. Furniture made of expensive woods usually served for many generations and became a family heirloom.
The writing table and other pieces of furniture: a mirror, a gramophone stand, a shelf and a wardrobe — were given to the history museum by the merchant’s relatives who still live in Mariinsk.
