Reis Carvalho - a painter on the Scientific Commission of 1859

During the 19th century, the western civilization was known for its strong rationalism, symbolized by the role of science and empirical thinking in different areas. Added to this is the fact that, throughout this century, we would witness the consolidation of several nation-states through the strengthening of their borders and identities.

Brazil was no exception in this scenario and, although it declared its independence in 1822, it would still undergo several changes in the delimitation of its borders.

This country, once a Portuguese colony, relied on the rational enlightenmentof the Second Reign to justify a discourse and image of a modern and civilized state.

Brazil received several scientific commissions sponsored by European monarchs to explore the country's fauna, flora, native population and minerals. At the beginning of the 19th century, Brazil received the Count of Langsdorff’s Scientific Commission - sponsored by the Russian Tsar - as well as the Austrian Mission, sent by the Austrian Empire.

European governments were very curious about the economic potential of this new world to which they finally had access. They sent naturalists and artists to collect local species and to register, through drawings and reports, the peoples, plants, animals and lands where they passed.

To leave behind the image of a colony as a supplier of raw materials in order to place itself as a free and potentially rich country required the government to explore its own territory.

Thus, in the middle of the century, the Empire of Brazil sent scientific commissions to explore and make known to the rest of the country its northern provinces. For the Brazilian state, there were still territories to be conquered in the interior of the country.

Dom Pedro II was an enthusiast of sciences and technological innovations. He actually exchanged letters with several scientists, including Pasteur. Brazil was the second country to have a telephone line: it connected the imperial palace to the ministerial offices. Due to the interest of D. Pedro II, the commission was provided with the most modern equipment and scientific literature. That is the reason why, in Brazil, we celebrate Astronomy Day on December 2, the emperor’s birthday.

We cannot forget that national unity was built by the state. In this context, the organization of scientific commissions was a political strategy of the Empire of Brazil for regional integration.

The first expedition financed by the emperor considered as a scientific commission was led by the German engineer Halfeld, between 1852 and 1854, to carry out a scientific survey of the São Francisco River Valley. There was also the Geological Commission of the Empire of Brazil, headed by the Canadian / American Charles Frederick Hartt, from 1875 to 1878.

The Exploratory Scientific Commission of the Northern Provinces, also known as the Scientific Commission of the Empire, took place between 1859 and 1861. Although it was not the first exploratory expedition sponsored by the Empire of Brazil, it was the first whose participants - naturalists and artist - were Brazilians, scientists associated to the National Museum and the Brazilian Geographic Historical Institute (IHGB).

The Scientific Commission of the Empire was headed by Francisco Freire Alemão Cysneiros, a specialist in botany. The Comission had other members such as Guilherme Schüch de Capanema, geologist and mineralogist; Manuel Freire Lago, zoologist; Giacomo Raja Gabaglia, astronomer and geographer, and the poet Gonçalves Dias, responsible for the travel and ethnography narrative.

"2nd. Section
Rio de Janeiro, Ministry of Business of the Empire
on February 21, 1859
[illeg]
Being informed, by the office of V. Sa. 7 of the current of having the Exploratory Scientific Commission arrived in this city with a happy and quick trip, and of having found from the President of the Province all the facilities and prompt arrangements for the safe disembarkation of the volumes of instruments and luggage, and for the accommodation of the members of the same Commission. Thus I communicate to you, V. Sa. to your knowledge.
God keep you.
Sergio Teixeira de Macedo
Snr Adviser President of the Scientific Commission exploradora ”

Almost all members of the Comission arrived in Fortaleza on February 4, 1859 and remained there, installed at the Liceu Cearense until August. During this period, naturalists explored the surroundings of the capital of Ceará.

Divided into three sections - Botany and Zoological; Geological; Astronomical - the Commission studied by the province of Ceará, despite having also passed through Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco, through locations near Ceará’s borders. The Ethnological section, under the command of Gonçalves Dias, went to the Amazon.

Approximate itineraries of the Empire Scientific Commission tours

Green - Botanical and Zoological Sections. General view of the travels of Francisco Freire Alemão and Manuel Freire Alemão, with the participation of Manuel Ferreira Lagos in many passages.

Blue - Geological Section. Headed by Guilherme Capanema, with the participation of Captain Coutinho. Gonçalves Dias followed the itineraries of the eastern part of the province.

Orange - Astronomical Section. Headed by Giacomo Raja Gabaglia and assistants.
(KURY, L. and AFFLALO, G., 2008, p. 82)

With the exception of the Ethnography section, the research - planned for all northern states - was practically restricted to Ceará.

The province was chosen to start the project because there was a suspicion of the existence of precious metals in the region, which was not confirmed.

The Sections followed different routes in Ceará. In Icó, the Botanical and Zoological Section met the Geological one and from there they went together to Missão Velha, Crato, Exu and Jardim. Then they separated and the Geological one returned to Fortaleza, passing through São José das Piranhas (PB), Souza (PB), Pau dos Ferros (RN), Limoeiro do Norte, Russas and Aracati.

“Imperial Scientific Expedition of Exploration
Ceará July 31, 1859
Dear Sir,
The Scientific Exploration Commission unanimously decided that the personnel and material expenses of each Section would be under the direction and responsibility of the respective Section Chief. So, I communicate and authorize you in the matters that concern you.
I reiterate to You the expressions of my esteem and consideration.
God keep you
Dr. Giacomo Raja Gabaglia
D. Chief of the Astronomy Section of the Scientific Commission"

The Botanical and Zoological Section returned to Fortaleza in another way: Assaré, Saboeiro, Crateús, Moçambique, Quixeramobim, Baturité. Before that, the Botanical and Zoological Section had already passed, along with the Astronomical Section, through Aracati and Russas.

The naturalists also went to the north center of Ceará and gathered in Sobral and Ipu. On this route, Gonçalves Dias, responsible for the ethnographic section, followed alongside Capanema, head of the Geological Section, until close to the border of Piauí, from where he went to the Amazon.

Explorers members of the Commission identified, analyzed, registered and studied numerous specimens of local flora and fauna, as well as addressing the habits, customs and people of the region. Scientists researched the values ​​and economic importance of flora, fauna, land and popular traditions, looking for ways to use these resources in favor of the state and science.

“Imperial Scientific Expedition
Ceará July 31, 1859.
Dear Sir
In order to proceed, by virtue of the unanimous agreement of the Members of the Scientific Commission of Exploration, with the payment and, among others, the payment of the salaries of the assistant of the Ethnographic Section, Dr. Francisco de Assis Azevedo Guimarães, and those of the Commissioner Captain Antonio Joaquim de Oliveira; consequently, for due execution, I authorize you on this occasion, to pay the aforementioned assistant, in addition to one hundred and fifty thousand réis a month for meals and horse fodder, besides the bonus that is due to him to be paid by the Treasury of Finance of this Province; and Captain Oliveira the sum of three hundred eighty and three thousand three hundred and thirty réis per month, the importance of all advantages that are fixed on him when serving in the Scientific Commission.
God keep you.
Dr. Giacomo Raja Gabaglia
Head of the Astronomical Section ”

“The scientific committee also constitutes a large amount of expense and is more or less useless. Besides, the institutions and the country don’t know what it does or about the result of it; the large amount of capital that it demands is at least absurd. It is insignificant to claim scientific achievements of the highest order, when we have no roads or arms to assist agricultural production.
In the midst of public misery, to flaunt the splendor of a museum of treasures, is ridiculous and dangerous.” (DIÁRIO DO RIO DE JANEIRO (RJ) - 1860 a 1878. Rio de Janeiro: edição nº 100, p. 1, 03 jul. 1860)

José dos Reis Carvalho was the artist chosen to follow the Commission and document it with drawings and watercolors. He was a watercolorist from the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (AIBA), where he was a student of Debret and a colleague of Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre. He also knew Thomas Ender and Rugendas, painters which were members, respectively, of the Langsdorff and Austrian expeditions.

Reis Carvalho participated in the first two AIBA exhibitions, in 1829 and 1830. Between 1843 and 1865 he earned four gold medals for his paintings. In 1828, he entered as a teacher at the Navy Imperial School. From 1865 on, his name appeared in the AIBA's catalogs as an honorary professor.

In 1848, he was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the Rose. José dos Reis Carvalho also practiced painting and photography as a means of living in a studio at downtown Rio de Janeiro.

The rational character of the records, however, did not prevent Reis Carvalho's artistic and stylistic imagination from emerging from the drawings and watercolors he produced throughout the years 1859-1861. In addition to his talent and experience, the observations and notes of the naturalistic researchers were added, always attentive to details and specific aspects of the analyzed items (ASSIS JÚNIOR, 2011, p. 6).

This "translation" of the naturalists observations by the artists' illustrations, the authors refer to as "vision through four eyes", or “four-eye view”.

“In the 'four-eyes view', both artist and naturalist seek to be faithful to nature, but a faithful image is not exactly visible, since it is imposed by reason over sensation and imagination, by the imposition of the naturalist over the eyes and hands of the artist.” (ASSIS JÚNIOR, 2011, p. 6)

Since the primary reason for the imagetic record was its didactic character in representing not only the visible, but also the predictable, the presence of the painter / draftsman in the commissions was indispensable (ASSIS JÚNIOR, 2011, p. 8).

“José dos Reis Carvalho, with his pencils, brushes and watercolors, was able to highlight the details through the lines and colors of his artistic productions, while photography allowed only an overview of the objects and in black and white. His drawings, even today, allow us to observe details that were highlighted according to the interest of the text constructed by the naturalist. Painting and drawing allowed an approximation with reality through colors, which did not exist in photographs of the 19th century.” (ASSIS JÚNIOR, 2011, p. 8)

In addition, due to the profusion of necessary records, it was imperative to use a method capable of producing them quickly and according to specific descriptive criteria.

These criteria, in turn, were guided by the need for details in aspects related to research and not necessarily conditioned by stylistic factors (ASSIS JÚNIOR, 2011, p. 8, 9).

“The watercolor technique used by the naturalist painter Reis Carvalho, as it only requires water as a solid paint solvent that can be easily liquefied along the way, allowed improvisation, speed and less commitment to precision, however, when combined with the drawing, it made it possible to highlight details according to his own interests or instructed by nature scientists. As a result, he obtained an approximation of reality through colors.” (ASSIS JÚNIOR, 2011, p. 214)

With the idea of replacing pack animals, horses and oxen, which suffered from the drought in the northeast, 14 dromedaries were brought from Algeria to be used by the Commission.

However, the dromedaries, called camels, did not adapt, mainly, to the stony soil, as they are used to desert sand. Thus, the experience with the dromedaries was a total failure.

“Dr. Capanema, when he sent back the camels, requested that the experiences continue; this was delayed due to Dr. João Silveira's absence. Dr. Antonio Marcellino, some time after starting to work, ordered that the camels be sent back to Baturité. The executors of that order, however, did it without any care, using rotten carnauba rope; next to Pacatuba in one of those infamous slopes that characterize the even more infamous Baturité new road, a camel went down running as they usually do when no one goes ahead marking the step; the consequence was that the rope broke and the poor animal fell.” (DIÁRIO DO RIO DE JANEIRO (RJ) - 1860 a 1878. Rio de Janeiro: edição nº 77, p. 1, 19 mar. 1862)

Once the Scientific Commission ended, it was necessary to disclose and make known to the rest of the country the results of the research carried out in such distant lands.

All the efforts of researchers to inventory and catalog the diversity, potentialities and natural and industrial resources of Ceará would serve not only the ultimate ends of scientific knowledge, but would also correspond to the Emperor's desires in mapping potential products and marketable wealth (SANTOS, 2015, p. 98).

“News received from Granja reports the loss of the yacht Palpite, which was going to the capital of Ceará, taking on board the luggage that Dr. Capanema, a member of the scientific committee, did not want to take to Serra Grande, where he intended to make his excursion , and feared the flooding of the rivers.
Among the lost objects, there were in the suitcases the record book of all the meteorological observations made up to Sobral, likewise the astronomical observations and the geological description of the province, all the manuscripts, and finally the notes that they used to rewrite when any delay anywhere forced it. The entire photograph collection was lost, as well as the series of the cities and towns of Ceará, dendrological types, the tools used by the people of Ceará, their constructions, etc., as well as some photographs of microscopic objects.
Some instruments, books, objects prepared for chemical analysis, among them the gages and the waters of Pagè, various medicinal plants, and most of the collections of Sobral and Mearuoca were also lost.
Only the crew survived. ” (DIÁRIO DO RIO DE JANEIRO (RJ) - 1860 a 1878. Rio de Janeiro: edição nº 113, p. 1, 26 abr. 1861)

“Your Imperial Majesties visited the exhibition of natural and industrial products from Ceará, held in the national museum by Mr. Dr. Manoel Ferreira Lagos.
Your Majesties stayed more than two hours, asking Your Majesty the Emperor for detailed information about the objects on display.” (DIÁRIO DO RIO DE JANEIRO (RJ) - 1860 a 1878. Rio de Janeiro: edição nº 252, p. 1, 15 set. 1861)

The desire to show the world a rich and modern country along the lines of what was done, then, in Europe, had its first rehearsal at the “Exhibition of Ceará products”. The Exhibition, organized by Ferreira Lagos at the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, opened on the emblematic date of September 7, 1861 and extended until the 15th of the same month.

The items exhibited at the time were organized according to scientific, but also didactic, criteria, since the primary objective of the event was to prove the nation's natural and inventive diversity, as well as to convey the multiple uses and applications of these resources (SANTOS, 2015, p. 95).

A country that intended to be modern should foster and develop its domestic production, especially industrial ones. Thus, identifying, classifying, quantifying and analyzing natural resources, knowledge and potentialities was imperative. The Scientific Commission, therefore, fulfilled this function by cataloging, registering and exposing Ceará's wealth (SANTOS, 2015, p. 98 - 100).

The Exhibition comprised items of mineral, animal and vegetable origin, as well as handcrafted objects typical of the region, armaments and other elements whose selection criteria slipped at times in scientism, at times in an unavoidable exoticism (SANTOS, 2015, p. 98 - 100).

The disclosure in the country’s capital of resources evidenced the urgency of investments in the domestic economy in order to promote the national production of goods that were, until then, imported. More than that, it was imperative to encourage the production of surpluses for export. The Exhibition, therefore, functioned as a showcase for the domestic and foreign markets by attracting new investors and consumers (SANTOS, 2015, p. 99 - 101).

The handicrafts, fauna and flora of Ceará were also protagonists in the National Exhibition of Industry, which, in 1861, took place at the Central School, in Largo de São Francisco.

It was the first exhibition organized by the imperial government with the objective of preparing the participation of Brazil in London’s Great Exhibition, the following year.

The event would bring together products from the country’s different provinces, bringing together a profusion of exhibitors, items and public. This intentional “excess” had the clear objective of materializing and crystallizing the discourse under construction about a rich country that, aware of its potential, entered the modern world, leaving behind the image of a backward and colonial Brazil (SANTOS, 2015, p. 95, 101).

Reis Carvalho's work is one of the few material records left by the commission. Freire Alemão also made fine botanical sketches; Guilherme Capanema described and photographed the stones, dunes and caves of Ceará; naturalists gathered a vast collection on that province and on the Amazonian Indians. However, much was lost in the shipwreck or disappeared in the fire that consumed the National Museum in 2018.