Brasiliana Iconográfica: Brazil through artists' eyes
A virtual museum of images of Brazil from the 1500s to the 1920s: prints, watercolors, paintings, maps and scientific illustrations from four major Brazilian collections. In Portuguese.
What it is
Brasiliana Iconográfica is a virtual museum of images of Brazil, launched in 2017 by four institutions: the National Library and the Instituto Moreira Salles in Rio, the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, and Itaú Cultural. It gathers drawings, watercolors, paintings, prints, broadsheets, maps and scientific illustrations, from the first depictions of the land after the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century up to the early 1920s. Beyond the catalog of works and artists there's an "Explore" section with a timeline, a map, subject browsing and a network graph of connections between artists.
Why we picked it
It shows how Brazil was pictured before photography took over: port cities, plantations, forests, animals, clothing and festivals — often through the eyes of European travelers, with all their curiosity and blind spots. And it's alive: new curator essays appear roughly every two weeks. Recent ones cover Rio's Botanical Garden as a site of science and plant "piracy," the clandestine ports that prolonged the slave trade, how Europeans depicted Indigenous music and dance, and the palace that dominates Belém's skyline. Each essay is anchored in specific works from the collection.
Where to start
- Go to "Explore" → "Mapa" and see which places got drawn the most.
- Walk the timeline from the 1500s into the 20th century.
- Read the Botanical Garden essay alongside its engravings.
- Browse a subject like "Rio de Janeiro" or "indígenas."
- Play with the artist network graph — it's oddly absorbing.
Who it's for
History buffs, lovers of old prints and maps, anyone studying Brazil or Latin America, and illustrators hunting for references. The site is Portuguese-only, but the images do most of the talking and captions translate easily in the browser.
Quick answers
What period does it cover? From the 16th century to 1922.
Who's behind it? Brazil's National Library, the Instituto Moreira Salles, the Pinacoteca de São Paulo and Itaú Cultural.
Is there an English version? Not yet — it's in Portuguese.
