The picturesque Brazil of Charles Ribeyrolles

Abstract

The article intends to analyse the view of the journalist Charles Ribeyrolles about Brazil when he came from exile in France in 1858.Fanatical French, Ribeyrolles had an important role on the barricades of 1848 acting as an eloquent chief editor for the journal La Réforme and as a radical defender of freedom. Invited by the also French and friend Victor Frond, Ribeyrolles lands in Brazil after an almost miserable season in England in order to write a book about the impressions he had on the tropical land. It arises then an important history document from 19th century, “Brasil Pitoresco”, with images by Frond and text by Ribeyrolles. The article here presented intends to analyze how the “foreign” speech of Ribeyrolles is designed and how the “revolutionary” character of the journalist expresses himself when he faces Brazilian slavery system. Keywords: Charles Ribeyrolles. Foreign. Brazil. Image.