ENThe article attempts to reconstruct the historical and social conditions behind the process of collecting and compiling Lithuanian materials by Jan Karłowicz. The analysis was undertaken on the basis of archival materials covering 156 messages exchanged between Karłowicz and Mečislovas Davainis-Silvestraitis, a Lithuanian folklorist and publicist, between 1883 and 1896. The introduction of Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts helps to understand the special nature of this collaboration, defining the position of Karłowicz and Davainis-Silvestraitis, non-institutionalised linguists, in the field of linguistics of the late 19th century. Keywords: Jan Karłowicz, Mečislovas Davainis-Silvestraitis, Lithuanian studies, Edmund Veckenstedt, Žemaitija.