“Poorest creatures in the world”. Identities and aspirations of governesses in the Kingdom of Poland, 1864–1914 – areas of research

The article aims to present areas of research in the project about the aspirations and identities of governesses in the Kingdom of Poland, 1864–1914. The article discusses both secondary and primary sources, the latter in the form of about 200 personal memoirs from the time in which homeschooling for girls is mentioned. The article makes a preliminary overview of their content, pointing to the intended routes of interpretation and forming a research hypothesis. It discusses the liminal position of the governesses in the context of class and gender relations.