The travel literature and the representation of Brazil by foreigners in the Nineteenth century

Abstract

The "foreign travelers" were extremely important in the elaboration of representations about Brazil and contributed to the fixation of images on the Brazilian society. Unlike the previous centuries, the nineteenth century will experience a large influx of foreigners into Brazilian lands. The mercantilist expansion of the European countries, the importance given to the knowledge of the sciences and the interest in other cultures had motivated numerous trips around the world. These foreigners went to Brazil with several purposes, such as doing business, opening commercial houses, exploring riches, getting to know the country. The image they drew about Brazil, its population and its nature was based on the European literate culture, considered civilized. And in this way they would carry a series of stereotypes about Brazil. We intend with this analysis to reflect on the themes of the landscape and nature from the works (paintings and reports) produced by foreigners during their travels to Brazil in the 19th century, with a special mention to Jean-Baptiste Debret and Johann Moritz Rugendas. In this sense, we seek to understand the role or the importance of travelers in the elaboration and diffusion of representations about Brazil.