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[Water carrier]

Francisco "Pancho" Fierro (attributed)Around the middle of the 19th century

National Library of Peru

National Library of Peru
Lima, Peru

Afro-descendant man riding a donkey towards the left of the composition. He has blue knee-length pants, a white shirt, a brown apron, and a short, rounded yellow hat. In addition, he carries two wooden barrels tied with a rope on the animal and a cane that ends in a two-pronged trident.
Following the description of the image, the character is a water carrier. This fulfilled the essential job of collecting water from different sources to distribute to the homes of a city that did not have pipes until the 1950s, and only partially. This work was carried out by Afro-descendants, who circulated through the streets around nine in the morning. In parallel, they watered the Plaza de Armas and oversaw eliminating packs of stray dogs. Inscription: "Water carrier oder das wasser in Die hauser Bringt".
It belongs to the album "1871 Praetoria" which contains 39 sheets of which 25 are watercolors and 14 are illuminated lithographs. These images are an example of the nineteenth-century production of pictorial costumbrismo in Peru, a repertoire of typical characters -in this case from the city of Lima-, composed without much context, and rather characterized by their work and clothing.

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  • Title: [Water carrier]
  • Creator: Francisco "Pancho" Fierro (attributed)
  • Date Created: Around the middle of the 19th century
  • Location Created: Lima, Peru
  • Physical Dimensions: 22.5 x 21 cm
  • Type: Painting
  • Medium: Watercolor on paper
National Library of Peru

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