“We Can No Longer Live by the Domostroi ”: The Riddles of Anna Nikanorovna Paskhalova‐Mordovtseva

Abstract

This article analyzes the rebuses (picture riddles) of Anna Nikanorovna Paskhalova‐Mordovtseva. It argues that despite their seemingly modest nature as artefacts of everyday leisure, Mordovtseva used these puzzles to make radical claims and assert herself as a public intellectual. By encoding feminist statements and giving visual form to imperialist sentiments, Mordovtseva established the domestic sphere as a central space of public debate. In doing so, she resisted attempts by some of her male contemporaries to limit her intellectual agency, even if she could not overcome all obstacles or denounce all injustices that she experienced as a female writer. To recognize her contribution, and by extension that of other women like her, this article proposes a wider definition of Russian nineteenth‐century culture: one in which “significance” extends to the common activities of everyday leisure.