Pierre de Tchihatcheff

A carte-de-visite portrait of the Russian diplomat, naturalist and geologist Pierre de Tchihatcheff (1812-1890).

Born Pyotr Alexandrovitch de Tchihatcheff at Gatchina near St Petersburg in 1812, he entered the diplomatic service and was attached to the embassy at Constantinople in 1842. In 1844 he was charged with the scientific mission to the Altai region of Russia,the results being published in two volumes, one volume with plates and the other an atlas. In 1845 he quit the diplomatic corps and dedicated the rest of his life to the study of geology and botany. Between 1848 and 1853 he travelled to Asia Minor six times and also visited North Africa, publishing many articles and monographs on the results of his studies. He died in Florence in 1890.

Photographed by Disdéri of Paris.