A.M. Sibiryakova's charitable activity as the civil activity manifestation of the merchant class women in imperial Russia of the late XIXth century

The paper is devoted to the study of charitable activities of the owner of large capital in gold mining Anna Mikhailovna Sibiryakova in the 1880-1890. The analysis of motivational attitudes, behavioral models and the main directions of Sibiryakova's philanthropic initiatives is presented in the context of the formation of civil culture in Russian society at the end of the XIX century. As the key value orientations of Sibiryakova's charitable activities, the author highlights the idea of serving the public interest, recognized primarily as the need to develop enlightenment and public education. These areas have become the main areas of investment of the donated capital. The pronounced attitude of A.M. Sibiryakova to personal, active participation in solving social issues that have entered the space of her charity is emphasized. The author concluded that the charitable activity of A.M. Sibiryakova’s appear to be a significant example of civil activity of the merchant class women, who managed to perceive the values of the civil culture that was developing in Russian society of the late XIXth century. At the same time, they combined these values with the traditional merchant class concept of charity as the fulfillment of a moral duty.