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Abstract:

The article presents an overview of the scientific activities of the French ethnographer and traveler Baron Joseph de Baie (1853—1931). A wide range of his interests is noted; perhaps the first place in it belonged to Russia, which de Baiy repeatedly visited at the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. and made a great contribution to the study of the history and culture of the Russian Empire. An appeal to the epistolary heritage of de Baie reveals many details of the creative history of his works on the Caucasus. The close scientific and friendly relations of the scientist with Caucasian scholars, representatives of Russian science and culture are indicated. The circumstances of de Baie’s journey from Tiflis to the Black Sea coast, which significantly enriched the ethnographic knowledge of the scientist, are considered. As a result of de Baye’s attention to the Caucasian region, in 1903 he undertook an expedition to Abkhazia. Scientific results formed the basis of the work “In Abkhazia. Memories of the Expedition”, published in Paris in 1904 and not previously translated into Russian. De Bai’s personal observations and the unique documentary, artistic, ethnographic, geographical and historical facts he collected significantly supplemented the previously available evidence about Abkhazia in the late 19 — early 20 centuries. A significant part of the extensive heritage of the scientist is photographic materials. There are more than 500 frames made by de Baie during his travels in the Caucasus and Abkhazia.