Jean-Baptiste Debret : le livre comme « mission ». Autour du Voyage pittoresque et historique au Brésil

Abstract

As a member of the «French Artistic Mission» of 1816, Jean-Baptiste Debret was not limited to his role as the official painter of the royal court in Rio de Janeiro. The perspective he provides on the emergent Brazil was expressed mainly in the book published upon his return to Paris in 1831: Viagem pitoresca e histórica ao Brasil (1834-1839). My aim is to emphasize the originality of this work, dedicated to everyday life in the Brazilian capital. It demonstrates the importance of describing different social strata – indians, slaves, particularly those who earned some wages [escravos de ganho], the Portuguese, and the new Brazilians. Through this detailed examination, with carefully considered text and images, Debret demonstrates how political conditions emerge for the formation of a mixed-race nation, organized under the laws of a liberal monarchy. Debret felt invested with a genuine «mission» to show, contrary to the supporters of the status quo, the collaborative dynamic of urban populations, paving the way for a unique post-colonial Brazil.

Keywords

• history of travel
• imperial Brazil
• slavery
• social anthropology
• miscegenation