Volga girls mail bride service

The Volga Girls Mail Bride Service was a mail-order bride service that operated in the early 20th century, primarily in the United States. The service was designed to connect American men with women from the Volga River region of Russia, who were seeking to emigrate to the United States and start new lives.

The service was founded by a Russian immigrant named Anna Petrow, who had herself come to the United States as a mail-order bride. Petrow recognized the demand for a service that could connect American men with Russian women, and she established the Volga Girls Mail Bride Service in the early 1900s.

The service operated by publishing advertisements in Russian-language newspapers and magazines, as well as in American newspapers and magazines. The advertisements typically featured photographs of Russian women, along with brief descriptions of their backgrounds, ages, and interests.

Men who were interested in corresponding with one of the women would send a letter or a photograph to the service, along with a small fee. The service would then forward the letter or photograph to the woman, and the two would begin a correspondence.

If the correspondence was successful, the couple would eventually meet in person, either in the United States or in Russia. The service would often provide assistance with the logistics of the meeting, including arranging transportation and accommodations.

The Volga Girls Mail Bride Service was popular among American men who were seeking a traditional Russian wife, as well as among Russian women who were seeking a better life in the United States. The service was also popular among Jewish men who were seeking a Jewish wife, as many of the women who used the service were Jewish.

However, the service was not without controversy. Some critics argued that the service was exploitative, as it often targeted poor and uneducated women who were seeking a better life. Others argued that the service was a form of cultural imperialism, as it often involved the transfer of women from one culture to another.

Despite these criticisms, the Volga Girls Mail Bride Service remained popular throughout the early 20th century. The service eventually ceased operations in the 1920s, but its legacy continues to be felt in the modern mail-order bride industry.

It's worth noting that the term "mail-order bride" is often used to describe women who are seeking a husband through a mail-order bride service. However, this term is often used in a derogatory way, and it is not a term that is commonly used in the industry today.