Brazil in the World

Brazil first participated in 1862 and intended to show the world its natural and industrial potential in order to attract, besides immigrants, investors and foreign markets.

The nations that participated in the expositions produced books as a means of making their countries better known to the world. The BNB Rare Works Collection holds the books produced for the 1876 Universal Exposition in Philadelphia and the 1904 Universal Exposition in Louisiana.

In the 1876 publication tells of Brazil's mineral resources and the institutional organization of the Empire. The event in Philadelphia was visited by Emperor Pedro II. 

One of the differences between the first book produced in 1862 and that of 1879 was a mention of the Imperial Government measure creating the School of Mines, dedicated to teaching subjects related to the exploitation of Brazil's mineral resources.

The work edited for the Saint-Louis Exposition, in 1904, substantially altered the standard of representation of Brazil in relation to its minerals.

By using more photographs in the 1904 propaganda book, Brazil sought to increase its persuasive power.

There are hundreds of works, in several languages, in which travelers report on the inhabitants, social life, uses and customs, fauna, flora, and other aspects of the former Portuguese colony, especially during the 19th century, after João VI decreed the opening of the ports.

The work is dedicated to Dr. Affonso Augusto Moreira Pena, President of the United States of Brazil, from November 15, 1906 to June 14, 1909. The book commemorates the centenary of the opening of Brazilian ports to world trade.

Marie Robinson Wright is distinguished for being the first woman to publish an article in the National Geographic Magazine—something rare for the time. Entitled The Falls of Iguazu, it had photographs by the author.

Contracted by the Imperial Government to research a route for the final stretch of the Pedro II railroad, James W. Wells, an English engineer, traveled through Minas with a team organized by the Public Works Company from London.

Wells was the only published visitor in the 1870s and one of the few from the second half of the century. Wells was in Minas from 1873 to 1875, a period when overseas visits were quite rare, which makes the document historically important.

Wells is often lyrical when referring to the Brazilian climate and landscapes. In his perception, in the Cerrado "there are gusts of wind that swirl among the twisted trees and sweep the dry leaves into spiral, gliding columns of dust and ash. “

Wells provided a wealth of interesting information for potential investors in Brazil. He gave a lot of geographical information, previously unrecorded, and claimed to have corrected existing maps.