Why were chimney sweeps both feared & valued in Tsarist Russia?

During the reign of Emperor Paul I, a riddle was common in St. Petersburg: "Here comes a pig from Gatchina, all dirty!" Even children knew it was about a chimney sweep.

It was easy to spot a chimney sweep on the street in pre-revolutionary Russia, just as it was in other countries: a soot-smeared face, a practical black suit, often with a white collar or belt. Over time, a tall black top hat also became an indispensable attribute.

This last addition to the outfit was a mockery of the aristocracy, but the top hat proved practical: it could be used to store pencils and small tools. A large ash spoon, meanwhile, hung from the chimney sweep's belt, while a coil of rope with a heavy cast-iron ball at the end, used for clearing stubborn blockages, would be slung over his shoulder. And all this was complemented by brushes on collapsible poles, scrapers and a soot bag.

The work required exceptional physical fitness: only a thin, yet strong and agile man or teenager could navigate the narrow chimneys. It was hard, dirty and dangerous work: the craftsmen had to climb across roofs in all weathers and descend into cramped, smoky spaces. Unsurprisingly, the profession often attracted men from the lower urban classes and peasants seeking work in the city without start-up capital. A division also developed: there were "free" chimney sweeps, who worked for private contractors, and state-owned ones, who worked for city councils and maintained government buildings.

Despite their low social status and the restrictions associated with dirt (according to some accounts, they were even forbidden from walking on sidewalks), chimney sweeps were surrounded by a mystical aura in the popular imagination: they, in a sense, worked between heaven and earth, with fire and its consequences. Meeting one was considered great luck, especially before an important event. To "take" this luck, people would touch the shiny buttons on his uniform.

Furthermore, the profession was associated with great risks: frequent falls from wet or icy roofs and occupational lung diseases from constantly inhaling soot dust significantly shortened the lives of chimney sweeps. However, the work was well paid. In the mid-19th century, cleaning 14 chimneys cost 1 silver ruble and a chimney sweep could earn up to 30 rubles a month – which was enough to buy 68 kg of meat, for example. In St. Petersburg, they also had the right to free access to the bathhouses.

With the development of central heating, the need for chimney sweeps greatly diminished, but the profession did not disappear completely. Modern chimney sweeps, just like centuries ago, use weights, ropes and brushes, supplementing this arsenal with video cameras and computer technology for diagnostics and inspection. However, they no longer need to climb through chimneys.