The relationship between Petrópolis and its landscape has been a source of inspiration for artists since the earliest times when painters, designers, photographers, and writers traveled through these mountainous parts. "Petropolis is the place on earth that, perhaps more than any other, deserves to be called a terrestrial paradise." In the "verbal" picture painted by Carlos Augusto Taunay in his Picturesque Journey to Petrópolis (1862), we clearly see the superiority of nature whose exuberance enchanted travelers and emperors. This, therefore, will be the first dimension to be dealt with by the artists.
The Landscapes
The second half of the 19th Century was a time for great aesthetic change, decisively influencing the understanding of the relationship between the city and its landscape.
Note the impressionist look of the water colors of Caroline F. Leveson Gower…
... that captures in her work the effect of light in the Estrada Velha in Petrópolis…
...at different times of the day…
Up the hill (1810 - 1830) by Benjamin MaryMuseu Imperial
... and the almost magical sinuosity of Benjamin Mary's sepia in depicting the mountain range...
... or the force of nature in the lithograph of Eugène Cicéri captured in Victor Frond's photograph.
The Presidency in Petropolis (1850 - 1889) by Jean Victor Frond (Photo); Jean Louis Tirpenne (litho.); Imprimerie Lemercier et cie.Museu Imperial
Landscape of the Presidency neighborhood, one of the 22 districts of the city of Petrópolis. This region was mapped by Otto Reimarus in 1854 and was named after the province of Rio de Janeiro.
Urban Landscapes
As Simon Schama considered in his classic study Landscape and Memory, nature can also frame of the urban landscape, emphasizing human action as the determinant of a dimension that confers a specific character to the visualization of a place.
The winding road that leads to the city shows how this frame was shaped by man...
Landscape (1880 - 1900) by Jorge Henrique PapfMuseu Imperial
... providing the enchantment that still attracts thousands of visitors to the Pedro's city.
Landscape (1874 - 1874) by Revert Henrique KlumbMuseu Imperial
We can observe the development of a city from various viewpoints ...
View of Petrópolis (1888 - 1888) by Karl Ernst PapfMuseu Imperial
... from the inns situated along the road.
Yet with a documentary quality…
Paisagem do Vale do Retiro (1874 - 1874) by Revert Henrique KlumbMuseu Imperial
... now consciously constructed in the photographic images of Revert Henry Klumb, for example ...
We can see the development of the city ....
View of Petrópolis (1886 - 1866) by Augusto Rodrigues DuarteMuseu Imperial
... and the growth of the buildings along its avenues.
View of Street d. Afonso (1882 - 1882) by Caroline F. Leveson GowerMuseu Imperial
Buildings that are still present ...
... such as the residence of Commander Joaquim Passos...
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...which is now used as a hotel.
Landscape (1874 - 1874) by Revert Henrique KlumbMuseu Imperial
There are empty spaces that will be filled in the future ...
... with buildings, which today, cannot be disassociated from the view of the city...
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... always having nature as a frame.
(Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara)
The house of Irineu Evangelista de Souza, future Viscount of Mauá, the only one that he had built...
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... retains its imposing form in the center of its garden.
The Imperial Palace of Petrópolis.
The Imperial Palace of Petrópolis was one of the residences of the Brazilian imperial family. Built between 1845 and 1862, with finances coming from the private wealth of the Emperor Pedro II, the building was originally designed by the superintendent of the Imperial Estate, major Julius Friedrich Koeler, and, after his death, was modified by Cristóforo Bonini, João Cândido Guilhobel, and José Maria Jacinto Rabelo, with the collaboration of Manuel Araújo Porto Alegre...
Imperial Palace of Petropolis (1857 - 1858) by Friedrich HagedornMuseu Imperial
...The property was further enhanced by the garden, designed and created by Jean-Baptiste Binot..
Dom Pedro II loved his summer residence and the city that grew around it ..
Imperial Palace of Petropolis (1860 - 1861) by Jean Victor Frond (Photo); Eugène Cicéri (litho.); Imprimerie Lemercier et cie.Museu Imperial
His lengthy sojourns in Petrópolis created a fashion for summer holidays and rural retreats...
Imperial Palace (1867 - 1867) by George LeuzingerMuseu Imperial
... as was said at the time, initiated by the monarch himself and by the Empire's aristocracy.
Imperial Palace (1867 - 1867) by George LeuzingerMuseu Imperial
The palace becomes part of the petropolitan landscape ...
Imperial Palace (1874 - 1874) by Revert Henrique KlumbMuseu Imperial
... a constant presence...
Imperial Palace (1882 - 1882) by Caroline F. Leveson GowerMuseu Imperial
... which makes its inclusion essential in visual depictions of the city.
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With the proclamation of the Republic and the consequent banishment of the imperial family, the building was occupied by two schools, Notre Dame de Sion (1893–1908) and St. Vincent de Paula (1909–40), and since March 29, 1940, has housed the Imperial Museum.
Diretor: Maurício Vicente Ferreira Júnior.
Coordenadora Administrativa: Isabela Neves de Souza Carreiro
Coordenador Técnico: Fernando Ferreira Barbosa
Curadoria: Maurício Vicente Ferreira Júnior
Montagem Virtual: Muna Raquel Durans
Apoio:
Museologia: Ana Luisa Alonso Camargo, Aline Maller Ribeiro, e Maria Helena de A. Esteves da Costa
Biblioteca: Claudia Maria Souza da Costa, Márcio Cardoso Miquelino Silva
Fotografia e Edição de Imagens: George Milek e Luis Fernando de Oliveira Azevedo.
Revisão de Texto: Rosana Carvalho.
