Archive of Ivan Shuvalov: experience of reconstruction based on materials from Russian and foreign archives

The article presents the first experience of a multifaceted study of the archive of Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, an outstanding statesman and philanthropist. The primary aim is to reconstruct the composition of the personal archive based on extensive bibliographic data, archival research, and the study of the social connections of the chamberlain and their influence on the structure of his documentary collection. The study focuses on the problem of insufficient attention to the origins and history of the extensive archival heritage of the statesman. Within the framework of the research, more than 300 documents related to Ivan Shuvalov’s name were analyzed, as well as over 30 of their early publications. The study findings enabled not only to restore the history of the “dispersal” of the chamberlain’s archive but also to analyze its content, which opens up new opportunities for further research into the personality of Ivan Shuvalov, as well as into his contributions to Russian culture and politics.