The Lisitsyn Brothers Factory

Archival records mention Fyodor Ivanovich Lisitsyn, who, according to documents, “practiced the gunsmith’s craft in the copper workshop,” devoting more than three decades to this occupation. At the same time, he earned extra income by making and selling copper utensils. Fyodor Lisitsyn had two sons — Ivan and Nazar, whom he trained in the art of working with copper.

In 1778, Ivan and Nazar Lisitsyn submitted a petition requesting permission to open a samovar factory. At that time, samovar-making factories already operated in Moscow, Suksun, and Nizhny Tagil. They may not have been the inventors of samovar, but they were the first historically recorded and documented samovar-makers, and their various and beautiful samovar designs became very influential throughout the later history of samovar-making. The Lisitsyn brothers’ factory was established in a small building adjoining their family home. The premises measured 15 meters in length and 5.5 meters in width. A forge with two furnaces, essential for soldering and casting samovars, operated in the courtyard.

In 1799, Fyodor Lisitsyn petitioned for his sons to be admitted to the merchant class, arguing that this would allow them to pay taxes on their capital. That same year, Fyodor Lisitsyn, his sons Ivan and Nazar, and their children — Nikita, Andrey, Mikhail, and Alexey — were officially recognized as merchants.

Ivan and Nazar Lisitsyn became owners of the first samovar factory in Tula. Nazar belonged to the third guild of merchants.

By 1803, the Lisitsyn factory employed 26 workers. Its capital was estimated at 3,000 rubles, and its annual income reached about 1,500 rubles.

The Lisitsyns paid great attention to the design and finish of their samovars, producing models in a wide variety of shapes. Their workshop made egg-shaped samovars, some with dolphin-shaped spouts, as well as barrel-shaped models and samovars with loop-shaped handles.

Ivan and Nazar worked together until the 1810s, after which each established his own production and began marking products with a personal stamp.

In 1823, the factory came under the management of Nikita Nazarovich Lisitsyn. That same year, it produced 450 samovars, and by 1833, annual production had reached 625 units. Half of these were sold in Tula, while the rest were shipped to other cities. The Lisitsyns also operated a shop in the Nizhny Novgorod Gostiny Dvor and exported samovars to Central Asia, particularly Khiva and Bukhara.

One samovar preserved in the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve bears the stamp:

“Ivan Lisitsyn in Tula, 1810.”
The samovar, shaped like a vase with tall looped handles, features an inscription in Persian:
“Let the caretaker of the Tsar’s gifted samovar preserve it faithfully. May Allah accept this gift and keep it safe in the house of Iakia.”

By 1833, the factory of Nikita Nazarovich Lisitsyn had 262 tools, including two lathes, one hundred hammers, several drills, pliers, shears, chisels, bellows, and vises. That year, the factory produced samovars valued at 12,500 rubles. After Nikita Nazarovich’s death, the business passed to his widow, Anna Yakovlevna Lisitsyna. In 1849, the factory produced 315 samovars worth 3,000 silver rubles. The Lisitsyns continued to trade at the Nizhny Novgorod Fair, where they maintained their own stall.

In the 1850s, the business was headed by Nikita Nikitovich Lisitsyn. He personally worked as the master craftsman, assisted by eight journeymen and four apprentices. The production volume remained roughly the same, at about 315 samovars per year. The samovars were made of brass and sold for 7 rubles each. Their quality was exceptional: in 1856, Nikita Lisitsyn received a medal and a ceremonial caftan for excellence in craftsmanship.

In 1863, he was invited to take part in an industrial exhibition in Tula, held in honor of the visit of the heir to the Russian throne, Alexander II. Average annual production reached 400 samovars. In 1869, Nikita Lisitsyn produced 70 dozen samovars, sold at 60 silver rubles per dozen.

Over time, the factory founded by the Lisitsyn merchants gradually disappeared from archival records — most likely unable to withstand competition from other enterprises.

One of the oldest surviving Lisitsyn samovars is preserved in the Tula Regional Museum of Local Lore. Other pieces are held in museums in Moscow, Bukhara, Leningrad, and Kaluga.