Like his older brother, the also artist Pedro Américo, Aurélio de Figueiredo made his career in Rio de Janeiro. Besides being a painter, he was a sculptor, draftsman, writer and caricaturist, having collaborated with some magazines and periodicals from the second half of the 19th century. Throughout his life, he made trips to Europe, where he was able to present his production in some Arts Salons. As a writer, his best known work is probably the anthem of his home state, Paraíba, written in 1905.