An illustrated album for Minas Gerais at the dawn of the Republic

ABSTRACT

Two active photographers, Francisco Soucasaux and Raymundo Alves Pinto, divulged the same idea at the beginning of the 20th century in the state of Minas Gerais: publishing an illustrated album representing the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Francisco Soucasaux passed away before completing his project, which was published by his brother, Augusto Soucasaux. Raymundo Alves Pinto never published his album, despite producing rich material for it. Nevertheless, the dispute between both projects was much more stimulating than the actual final results. This article analyses the debate surrounding both propositions. For such, we will present some visual features of the Álbum de Minas, authored by the Soucasaux brothers, as well as of the photographs produced by Raymundo Alves Pinto, highlighting some relevant aspects of the dispute between the concurrent projects. Not only did the photographers compete over both the edition of an album and for space and influence on the public administration, they also competed for a symbolic place in the modernization process of the Brazilian State during the first years of the Republican regime.

KEYWORDS:
Álbum de Minas; Francisco Soucasaux; Augusto Soucasaux; Raymundo Alves Pinto; Debate; Visual Culture