Publiclighting–thepolesandlamps

From the whale oil lamps of colonial Rio to the gas lighting installed in the mid-19th century – a system that endured until 1933 in some streets of the suburbs – there were many transformations. After obtaining the concession for public lighting services, when the first lamps had already been perfected, Light proceeded to invest in the generation of electric energy, the distribution network, and the manufacture and importation of poles and luminaires. In 1906, the Central Avenue (current Rio Branco) was inaugurated and its lighting project was developed and implemented by Light. The Beira Mar avenue and Praia de Botafogo also soon received electric lighting. And for the 1908 National Exhibition, underground cables were installed between Praia de Botafogo and Praia Vermelha. By 1910, the Light network extended from Zona Sul to Cascadura. From 1920, the foundry of the Vila Isabel workshops began to manufacture Light's ornamental iron poles. It was during this period that gas public lighting began to be replaced in various public spaces of the city. These are some models of poles and luminaires installed in Rio de Janeiro.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a street with public lighting. On the left side, there is a lamppost with a hanging light fixture. The street is paved with stones and has one side covered with vegetation. In the background, there are simple buildings and a few people walking. Mountains are visible on the horizon, providing a contrast with the cloudy sky.

In the detail of the previous image, in the background and to the right, the hill of Outeiro and the current parish of São José and Nossa Senhora das Dores. In the background, the imposing Tijuca massif. Today, this church located at Barão de Mesquita street 763, in Andaraí, has another appearance, as it was enlarged; it expanded to the sides and had its facade remodeled.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of an urban street with a paved road in the center. On the left, there are brick buildings with sloped roofs, while on the right stands a building with domes and towers, possibly a church. Streetlights are scattered along the street, and in the background, vegetation-covered mountains form the horizon.

In this photograph, besides the pole displaying beautiful lamps, one can see on the sidewalk – which was not yet paved with Portuguese stones – two cast-iron covers, referring to distinct services of the Light that already made use of the city's undergrounds.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban street. On the left side, we see a building with balconies and flags hanging from them. In the foreground, there is a sidewalk with people walking. In the center, there is a street lamp post with three lights. In the background, there is a large building with classical architecture, possibly a palace or church, with trees planted in front of it. The street is empty, with only a few distant people.

Here, a photograph of the Ponte dos Marinheiros with distinct posts and lamps at each end; to the right and in the background, one sees a succession of very tall and slender posts for the transmission of telephone cables. This bridge, today hidden in the Praça da Bandeira, where the viaducts of the Marinheiros and dos Pracinhas pass and originally constructed when that region was an extensive swamp, was renovated at the beginning of the 19th century integrating the road that aimed to facilitate the passage of the imperial entourage between the residential palace of Quinta da Boa Vista and the Paço Imperial, in the Praça XV.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph showing an urban scene with a bridge over a canal. On the left side, we see a stone structure with a balustrade, where people are walking. In the distance, old cars are driving along the street. In the center, there is a large building with several windows, possibly a palace or public building. On the right, there are more people walking and a park with trees. In the background, there are more buildings and a water tower. Lighting is provided by fixtures mounted on lampposts along the street.

This is a cyanotype – a photographic copy in shades of blue, produced from an emulsion of iron salts. This process is very simple and inexpensive and its image has good permanence, having been widely used by the engineers of Light to produce copies from the glass photographic negatives and also from the technical drawings. The balustrade that is seen was brought from the garden of the Tiradentes square on the occasion of the renovation spearheaded by mayor Pereira Passos in Glória, in the first decade of the 20th century. The Glória street is the continuation of the Lapa street. In the lower part, it runs parallel to Augusto Severo avenue, which comes from Passeio Público.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of a location with public lighting. On the left side, there is a lamppost with three street lamps, each with a decorative umbrella-shaped shade. On the right, there are two more lampposts with similar lamps. In the background, there are trees and a sculpture on a raised platform. The ground is paved with regular stones. At the bottom center of the image, it reads "PUBLIC ILLUMINATION AT GLORIA Jan.1923 PLATE N° 819 BOX No. 132".

In the photograph of Marechal Floriano street, the pinnacles are attached to the central column, which also supported the cables that provided power to the electric trams. These ran along the central strip of the road, while the automobiles traveled on the edges. To the right is the Light headquarters building.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of an urban street. On the left side, we see buildings with arches and large windows, while on the right there is a large building with columns and balconies. In the center, there is a lamppost with three hanging lamps, lighting the street. Streetcars are running along the road, and old cars are parked or in motion. People are walking along the sidewalk. In the background, trees and other buildings complete the scene.

A photograph of Maracanã Avenue, in the stretch where it crosses with Uruguai Street, in Tijuca. The kids posed composedly for the photographer, who intended to document the new model of lamp installed at the ends of the bridge over the river. But in the background, it can be seen that along the avenue the older model persisted. And on Uruguai Street the model used was yet another, as can be seen on the left edge, in an obscure region of the photograph. In the background, the Tijuca massif.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban scene with a stone bridge at its center. On the left, we see a concrete structure with decorative columns and a low wall. On the right, there is a street with a few people walking. In the background, there is a range of mountains covered in dense vegetation. On the bridge, several children are sitting on the balustrade, looking toward the camera. The bridge has an ornamental design with geometric details. In the bottom right corner, there is a sign with the number "847" and the name "RUA URUGUAY".

If this is Souza Lima street in Copacabana, according to the photograph's identification in the Light archives, just ahead we see the corner with Nossa Senhora de Copacabana avenue and in the background, the Cantagalo hill. In the foreground we see a pole with a newly-installed lamp. But just behind, one can still see a preserved model from the times of gas lighting.

Image description: This is a historical black-and-white photograph of a street with public lighting. The image shows an urban road with old buildings on both sides. On the left, there is a building with classic architecture, while on the right there is another building with a sloped roof. In the center of the image, there is a post with two hanging lamps. The lamps are of an old style, with cone-shaped shades. There is a small patch of dirt on the ground near the post. In the background, there is a hill covered with vegetation.

In the report titled “Nightly Aspects of Rio,” published in the Light Magazine in 1929, the city's nocturnal beauties are exalted when its shoreline was already well-illuminated. “It is the City-of-light! The most beautiful in South America and that which will be the most beautiful in the world. The sun gives it a peerless charm. At night, it is no less wonderful. It is an orgy of light!” The text goes on to describe the beauties of the necklace of light that stretched from the end of Ipanema to Rio Branco Avenue, in the city center, and ends with a salutation to the inventor of the electric bulb: “Glory to [Thomas] Edison who gave us the beauty of light!”

Image description: The image is a page from a newspaper or magazine, dated September 1929. The layout is vertical, with photos arranged in columns. In the left column, there are four photos of cities lit up at night, showing different points of view. In the right column, there is text in Portuguese discussing the beauty of the city of Rio de Janeiro at night. The photos are black and white, and no colors are visible.