Historical Portrait of the Irkutsk Merchant of the 1st Guild M. V. Pikhtin

This article reconstructs the historical portrait of M.V. Pikhtin, an Irkutsk 1st Guild merchant. Using previously unpublished and underrepresented sources, this article recreates the entrepreneur's biography and identifies his contribution to the economic development and social and educational life of Siberia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The article also identifies M.V. Pikhtin's involvement in the grain procurement campaign of 1892-1894, the establishment of the Yakutsk Girls' Progymnasium, and his publishing, journalistic, and charitable activities. It also identifies Pikhtin's numerous state awards for his services and achievements.