A Collection Of Love Letters

By Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico

Love has many faces, and it constantly changes according to the historical period it inhabits. Constancio Suárez' love letter collection is an example of how this feeling was idealized during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Mexico.

Colección de Cartas Amorosas portada cuaderno número 11 (1922) by Constancio S. Suárez y José Guadalupe PosadaArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico

These booklets, which were published in the printing press of Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, were written by Constancio S. Suárez and illustrated by José Guadalupe Posada. They contained stories of impossible, platonic, complicated or reciprocated love.

Colección de Cartas Amorosas portadilla cuaderno número 12 (1922) by Constancio S. Suárez y José Guadalupe PosadaArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico

The text was simple and brief to catch the attention of the readers, who, in many cases, had to buy the next number to find out how the story finished. This was a common practice among publishers.

Colección de Cartas Amorosas portada cuaderno número 4 (1922) by Constancio S. Suárez y José Guadalupe PosadaArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico

These letters show how love was seen at the time. There were many undercurrents that influenced its portrayal such as courtly love, renaissance idealism, and Romanticism. Love at that time prevailed over reason and rationalism.

Colección de Cartas Amorosas portada cuaderno número 9 (1922) by Constancio S. Suárez y José Guadalupe PosadaArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico

Its pages show an exalted image of love. As you will notice, the woman is the central part of the representation of love, since it was considered that this feeling was more related to the feminine gender than to the masculine one.

Colección de Cartas Amorosas portadilla cuaderno número 12 (1922) by Constancio S. Suárez y José Guadalupe PosadaArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico

Next, you will be able to observe and read Volume 12 of this collection of love letters.

Colección de Cartas Amorosas presentación cuaderno número 12 (1922) by Constancio S. Suárez y José Guadalupe PosadaArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico

Colección de Cartas Amorosas pagína cuaderno número 12 (1922) by Constancio S. Suárez y José Guadalupe PosadaArchivo General de la Nación - Mexico

Credits: Story

Ficha Técnica:

Constancio S. Suárez
José Guadalupe Posada (ilustraciones)
1922
México
AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Colección Gráfica Felipe Teixidor

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions (listed below) who have supplied the content.

Archivo General de la Nación - Mexico

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