Francisco de Paula Brito

Francisco de Paula Brito, black*, merchant, bookseller, editor, printer and author well known in the 19th century, was a catalyst for the cultural and literary scene of 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Machado de Assis declared he was the first editor worthy of the name among us.

Born in 1809 on Rua do Piolho, today known as Rua da Carioca, he was born free, just like his father. Grandfather Martinho was freed in the baptismal font, son of the slave Rosa and the Portuguese sergeant-major Francisco Pereira Brito.

Paula Brito did not attend school and his sister Ana Angélica taught him to read when they lived on a flour mill with family in Magé, in the Recôncavo da Guanabara. He returned to court at the age of 13 and lived with his grandfather Martinho.

As he was literate, he was admitted as an apprentice at the Imperial and National Typography, remaining there for four years.  From 1827 to 1830, he worked as administrator of the press department at Jornal do Commercio, founded by editor Plancher.  There he learned French.

1830 and 1831: years of turmoil that resulted in the abdication of Pedro I. During the Regency, revolts exploded across Brazil. Political disputes between Restorers, Moderates and Exalted People were common in Rio and Paula Brito was on the side of the Exalted Ones.

In 1831, Paula Brito announced he had bought from his cousin Silvino the store at Praça da Constituição, nº 51. He told the customers that continued to receive all the usual periodicals.  In addition to selling papers, he renews the house's assortment.

He sold newspapers and magazines and edited periodicals like A Mulher do Simplício (Simplício’s Wife). In 1832 started printing newspapers and leaflets at his own printing press. Conciliador Fluminense was the first newspaper to appear in Tipografia Fluminense de Brito & C.

Between 1832 and 1833 he published seven newspapers of the Exalted People, two of the Restorers, one of the Conciliators and one of the Moderates. The articles were anonimous, but the newspaper O Mulato or O Homem de cor contains evidence of authorship by Paula Brito.

From 1835 onwards, the company changed its name to Tipografia Imparcial, now without a partnership. Paula Brito got increasingly closer to the Moderates until the end of his life. He will be a conciliator, and as such, he will support Pedro II's coming of age coup in 1840.

Tipografia Imparcial, in addition to political pages, publishes Catholic, literary and scientific newspapers. The first novel by a Brazilian author, O Filho do Pescador (“The Fisherman’s Son”), by Teixeira e Sousa, was published as a serial and  afterwards as a book by Imparcial.

In 1850, Paula Brito expanded and modernized his business. He sells shares in the company. Emperor Pedro II would be one of the partners. That’s Typography Dous de Dezembro, a reference to the birthday of Pedro II and his own, which operated at Praça da Constituição nº 64.

Dous de Dezembro continues to publish national and foreign authors. Machado de Assis worked at the company as a reviewer and translator of French novels. His works ”Disenchants, Fantasia Dramática” and “Falling that women have for fools” were published by Paula Brito.

In addition to Machado, he edited, among others, Manuel de Macedo, Casimiro de Abreu, Gonçalves de Magalhães, José de Alencar, Araújo Porto Alegre. He also published plays, musical scores, costumes and variety magazines.

We associate Paula Brito with the Petalógica. In the 1830s, his store was a meeting point for intellectuals, artists and politicians, which began to assemble there. The group became known as the Petalogical Society (“peta” meaning lie - which set the tone for the conversations).

Joaquim Manuel de Macedo, João Caetano dos Santos, José Maria da Silva Paranhos, Eusébio de Queirós, Machado de Assis, Laurindo Rebello and many others attended the Petalogical Society. Petalógica members were called by nicknames.

In the words of Machado de Assis, “the Petalógica, where everyone went, politicians, poets, playwrights, artists, travelers, friends and curious people – where they talked about everything – from the removal of a ministry to the pirouette of the fashionable dancer”.

“Do you want to know about the latest parliamentary event? (...) From the new Italian opera? From the new published book? From the last dance in E***? From the last theatrical play by Macedo or Alencar? (…) Rumors of any kind? Don’t need to go any further, just go to Petalógica.”

From the 1850s onwards, Petalógica meetings were published in the bi-weekly Marmota Fluminense, which circulated even after the bankruptcy of Dous de Dezembro. It closed its doors in 1857, as a result of the global economic crisis.

Paula Brito published Marmota Fluminense for few months and with government help continued printing leaflets and newspapers. The Moderator, ministerial sheet, is from this period. In 1861, our editor suddenly passed away. His wife Rufina continued to run the business until 1875.

Paula Brito was an example of the cultural and political importance of the mixed-race* population in the Empire. Brown* citizens contributed enormously to the formation of Brazil. People like André Rebouças, Maria Firmina dos Reis, José do Patrocínio, Machado de Assis and others.

However, since the end of the 19th century Lombroso's ideas, which postulated the inferiority of black people, justified the State's encouragement of white immigration. Gradually European workers took spaces that during the Empire were mainly occupied by mixed-race people.

Black people never stopped fighting for their rights, though. Despite racism ingrained in society, today affirmative actions contribute to this population's access to different social spheres.