The article is an experience of reconstruction of historical and geographical images of trade as a part of socio-economic relations of citizens of Altai south-east regions in the XVII - early XXth century. Spatial paradigm of this research is based on the class of “Altai southeast regions”. This one is a wide band of the Upper Ob-Irtysh region located to the south-east and to the south from the Ob rise, the place of intensive contacts between Russian population and indigenous dwellers. The authors found on concept of humanitarian geography and especially on one of its direction - imaginative geography. The result of analysis of travelers’ key writings devoted to Altai is emphasizing of four types of history-geographical images of commercial and economic relations: syncretic, official, objectively-balanced, ethnographic. The data received promote keen understanding of the origin of trade relations in Altai south-east foothills. This illuminate separated details of microimages organization of local regions which are situated in a phase of active exploration.