Polovtsoff, Alexandre, 1867-

Born in St. Petersburg in 1867, Polovtsoff grew up amid the cultivated society of the era; as a young man, he served several years in the cavalry (1888-1892), afterwards entering the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he held responsible positions and travelled extensively through Russia and the outlying provinces. He also served as a foreign diplomat, one of his more protracted assignments being a post with the Russian Embassy in Bombay, 1906-1909. He maintained an active interest in Russian art and engaged in such activities as the organization of the Exhibition of Russian Art in London in 1935, also writing several articles and speeches on the subject.

From the guide to the Alexandre Polovtsoff papers, 1918-1934, (Manuscripts and Archives)