The article provides an overview of historiography on the issue of the French presence in St. Petersburg in the late 19th — early 20th centuries. Without pretending to be an exhaustive list of publications on the stated topic, the author noted the most significant works of recent years. The main goal of the study is to trace the development of the views and interests of historians in the study of the French presence in the Northern capital. On the basis of the comparative historical method, an attempt is made to trace the creation of the image of the French immigrant by modern historians, as well as to restore the picture of the social, political, cultural and spiritual life of the French in St. Petersburg. The presented studies are devoted to the study of “French routes” in the city on the Neva, the French as a separate ethnic group and its assimilation, professional activity, periodicals in French and many other issues. Raising them, one can embark on the path of reconstruction of historical events. As one of the key conclusions, we fix that, despite the fact that sometimes Russia and France have complex relationships, the cooperation of scientists over the centuries-old history of contacts has practically not been interrupted. Today, the tendency to exchange research experience, help in scientific research continues. It can be seen when encountering a significant number of collections, catalogs, and articles of Russian-French authorship. At the same time, bilateral work on the introduction of archival materials, diplomatic documentation, the publication of memoirs, and the organization of joint exhibitions into the public domain allowed scientists to continue their research to restore the picture of the life of the French diaspora in St. Petersburg.