Russian Geographical Society’s Scientific Archives
A drawing from an expedition headed by N.N. Miklukho-Maklai
Simultaneously with its foundation in 1845, the Russian Geographical Society started building up its Scientific Archives – the oldest specialised geographical archives in the country. The first manuscripts in the Archives were donations, made to the Society by enthusiastic individuals. Among them was A.O. Dugamel, Russian Consul General in Egypt, who gave to the Society the manuscript “Statistical overview of Egypt in 1848”, and merchant S.F. Plekhanov, who presented 8 paintings, depicting the way of life in the then Obdorsky and Berezovsky regions.
Later on, the Archives were replenished by materials from the Society members’ personal archives and materials, accumulated in the course of the activities and research conducted by the Society itself. These materials reflect the history of the geographical sciences in Russia, as well as the history of the Russian Geographical Society.
A particularly large number of manuscripts were obtained by the Society from geography buffs among the rural intellectuals (teachers, doctors, statisticians), the clergy and the peasants, in response to the Society’s ethnographical programme, launched in 1848. In total, 7, 000 copies of the programme were sent out to every corner of Russia.
The programme consisted of 6 sections:
- Appearance
- Language
- Domestic life
- Structure of society
- Mind frame, morals and education
- Popular legends and folklore
In 1851, the number of manuscripts received by the Society amounted to 700, and in 1852 – 1,290.
Members of P. K. Kozlov’s expedition to Mongolia
The most significant among the vast number of programmes, launched by the Society in order to collect information on: folk beliefs and superstitions in the South of Russia (1866), on traditional laws, codes and customs (1877), and on marriage rites among the Great Russians and Non-Russian peoples, living in the Eastern Russia (1858). The collected manuscripts were sent out to provinces, regions and other administrative-territorial units of that time.
Particularly outstanding were the collections from the Caucasus, Siberia, Russian Central Asia, the Baltic States, Belorussia, Poland, and Finland. The manuscripts, describing the whole nationalities, such as the Slavs (Eastern, Western and Southern), peoples of the Russian Central Asia, Siberia and European Russia were just as important. All materials were arranged according to the part of the world: Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia and Oceania.
The Asian manuscripts collection was divided into subcategories: China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan and so on. Altogether, the Russian Geographical Society’s Archives comprised 115 ethnographical collections, amounting to 13, 000 documents.
Some of the materials (36 collections) were described by D.K. Zelenin in his “Descriptions of the manuscripts of the Russian Geographical Society’s Scientific Archives”, volumes I-III (Petrograd, 1914-1916). The edition is still the only published reference book of materials stored in the Society’s Archives. Most of the ethnographical collections (79 collections) still remain handwritten.
Field work during an expedition headed by G.E. Grum-Grzhimailo
Among the archival materials, those of the Society’s Secretariat stand out as the most plentiful and varied ones. They amount to over 5,000 documents and include manuscripts on the Society’s structure and scientific activities (minutes of General Meetings, annual reports of the Society, its branches and divisions), reports on organisation and execution of numerous expeditions, as well as scientific and international correspondence.
Truly unique are the documents from the personal archives of the famous Russian scientists, explorers and travellers, such as P.P. Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, N.M. Przhevalsky, N.N. Miklouho-Maclay, G.E. Grum-Grzhimailo, P.K. Kozlov, G.Ya. Sedov, A.I. Voeikov, L.S. Berg, V.L. Komarov, V.A. Obruchev, Yu.M. Shokalsky and others. The manuscripts collected by the Russian Geographical Society’s members include descriptions of geography, economy, ways of life, arts and crafts in many countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and America.
At present, the Russian Geographical Society’s Archives include over 60, 000 manuscripts and other documents, which make up 96 holdings and 114 collections. They feature handwritten materials on geography, history and other related sciences, descriptions of expeditions undertaken by the Society, and manuscripts on folklore, ethnography and linguistics of the former Soviet Union countries.
