Sabina da Cruz (Vogue)

The grocer Sabina da Cruz – or Sabina das Laranjas (Sabina of the Oranges) – became the symbol of a popular demonstration that took place in July 1889 during the political debates that marked the Abolition, the criticism of the monarchy and the republican propaganda. Sabina sold oranges at the door of the medical school on Misericórdia Street, where she was well known and liked. Her stall was truculently closed by the police amid a series of attacks to repress the “dangerous classes,” or, in other words, to curb activities that could give autonomy to the urban Black population. The decision sparked a protest by students and workers, who marched on the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro.