Documents of the Russian State Archives of the Navy on the making of A.P. Bogolyubov, a cadet, a naval officer, and a painter. From the Naval School Fund and the Kruzenshtern personal Fund
Alexey Petrovich Bogolyubov was born on March 16, 1824, in the Novgorod province. His father, Pyotr Gavrilovich Bogolyubov, was a retired Colonel. His mother, Fekla Alexandrovna, a graduate of the Smolny Institute, was the daughter of the famous Russian prose writer Alexander Radishchev. The family had two sons: Nikolai and Alexey. In 1835, Alexey was transferred from the Alexander’s Tsarskoye Selo Cadet Corps to the Naval Sea Cadet Corps. By the time of Alexey Bogolyubov’s enrolment to the Naval Cadet Sea Corps, Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern had been the director of the corps for eight years. Due to the tireless reformation activity of the director, the Naval Cadet Sea Corps had an excellent reputation among the educational institutions of the capital. Here they were not only taught excellence in science, but also placed great importance on the upbringing and health of the students. In the Naval Corps, Alexey was distinguished by “...a desperate gaiety and mischievous temper...”. Not very strong, however dexterous, he loved practical jokes, participated in all fights, constantly walked around torn and beaten. In 1841, Bogolyubov graduated from the Corps with the rank of midshipman. The Russian State Archives of the Navy retains the documents pertaining to the Alexey Bogolyubov’s studies in the Naval Corps, the role of the Corps and its teachers in the fate of the future artist.