ThroughthestreetsofRio–Children

For children, the streets of Rio were once a space of greater togetherness, of sociability. Anywhere, upon reaching a certain age – which could vary according to each family's peculiarities – conquering the streets was the first step toward freedom and maturity; toward 'venturing into the world,' at last. The streets were also a space for play. And for keeping up with the city's movements, its novelties and transformations. We are in the gasworks area in São Cristóvão. Children observe the photographer's presence. Perhaps they had never even set foot in a studio; perhaps they had never even posed for a photograph; who knows.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban scene. On the left side, there is a wooden fence with a wall. In the background, there is a large brick building with several windows and electrical structures on top of it. On the right side, there is a small, simple structure. In the center of the image, three children are walking along the cobblestone-paved street. They are near the main building.

They are all barefoot, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts. The boy on the right is wearing a uniform; all those clothes probably have a history of their own. The two boys at either end are captured more clearly; the ones in the middle are ‘blurred’ or ‘shaky’ because they were moving at the moment the photograph was taken, at the ‘click.’ But the buildings and lampposts are perfect; and for the purpose of that record, this is what matters; and the human elements in motion only add value to the image, giving it life – or so the photographer thought.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a stone-paved street, with a brick building on the left. Three children are scattered across the image, two closer to the left and one further to the right. The building has barred windows and a metal sign on the wall. There is also a white fence in the background on the right.

The detail of the two boys on the left gives one pause. Who are they and why are they there? Where did they come from and where might they have gone? The one furthest to the left has indigenous features, perhaps. The one on the right is Afro-descendant for sure and his image is fluid. His feet are firmly planted on the ground; but his legs merge with the pavement and his face, with the wall.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of two children in an urban setting. The child on the left is standing with arms crossed, wearing baggy pants and a white shirt. The other child is further to the right, also standing, wearing similar clothing. Both are in a stone-paved courtyard, with a brick building in the background. A barred window is visible on the building's wall, along with some vents. A vertical wooden post stands to the left of the image.

Here we have a photograph taken in Vila Isabel, where the Light company was building one of its garages. Notice the boy who is on the wall, on the left.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a construction in progress. On the left, there is a street with houses and trees. In the center, a fence separates the construction area from the street. On the right, workers are building a structure with a wooden and brick frame. There are piles of wood and stones on the ground. In the upper right, there is a smokestack.

The cloth tied around the face (probably a diaper) takes us back to a time when painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills were not common and dental services were far from today's standards and possibilities. This cloth also reminds us that this was a therapeutic resource commonly used when a child caught mumps and was isolated during the first few days.

Image description: This is a black and white photograph of a street in a residential neighborhood. On the left side, there is a house with windows and a wooden fence. In the central part of the image, two adults walk along the sidewalk, carrying bags. In front, a boy stands on a metal fence, looking down. In the background, there are trees and another house. In the bottom right corner, there is an inscription that reads "392 Light and Power Obras na F. de Villa Isabel Rio-6-8-07 Malta".

In the background, we see a porter making his way carrying birds, perhaps, in two jacás – woven baskets made of bamboo or vine. Beside him, a well-dressed citizen, wearing a straight-brimmed hat with a ribbon, of the boater (palheta) type, stopped to pose, just like some of the workers who are on the upper floor of the building (as will be seen in the next slide).

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a street. On the left, there is a brick wall with a low wall in front of it. On the opposite side, there is a house with a window closed off by a grate. In front of the house, there is a tree. In the center of the image, a child walks down the street carrying two buckets of water. The child is dressed in traditional clothing.

These details also allow us to pay attention to other aspects – the streetlamp, the surrounding architecture, the scaffolding system, and the construction style of the building, with bricks.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a construction in progress. On the left, we see a house with a red tile roof. In the center, there is a wooden and brick structure under construction, with workers spread across it. On the right, there is another house with a red tile roof. In the background, there is a building with a red tile roof and ornamental architectural details.

In this photograph, the interest of the children in the photographer's activities—and perhaps even in becoming part of the scene—is evident. The longer exposure time caused those who were moving to appear 'blurred,' giving the shot a special dynamic. The boy with a toothache (or recovering from mumps) is now accompanied by another, both balanced on the fence.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph showing an urban scene with construction in progress. On the left side, we see a group of buildings with sloped roofs and metal structures. In the center, there is a large structure under construction, with scaffolding and workers spread across it. On the right, there is a house with a tiled roof and a cracked wall. In the foreground, a fence separates the construction area from pedestrians. People are walking and interacting in front of the fence. In the lower right corner, the number "390" is written.

The detail in the image conveys a sense of familiarity, of closeness between them. There is a certain staging, even if spontaneous. Most of them are barefoot. There are boys and girls, and a dog. The girl on the right, reaching the top of the fence, may have intended to join the boys before the photo! But there wasn't time. The pair up there seems pleased and is surely posing for the photographer, while still being watched by one of the boys who stayed on the ground, wearing a hat.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of children playing in a backyard. On the left side, we see two children standing behind a wooden fence. One of them is wearing a long dress and the other is dressed in lighter clothing. In the center, a child is running, their figure blurred due to the movement. On the right, two children are interacting with the fence, one appears to be climbing while the other is looking at them. In the background, two adults are working on an improvised structure, using ladders and building materials. The setting is quite disorganized, with wooden structures and bricks scattered about.

Here we have Glória street on the left, higher up, and Augusto Severo street on the right. Although not visible in this photograph, a stone wall built in 1904 during Pereira Passos's administration supports the difference in level between the two streets, adorned with the bronze balustrade brought from the garden of praça Tiradentes. At the end, atop the cylindrical column of sculpted granite, the Krussman clock installed in 1905 – with four faces and illuminated dials – shows 3:12 p.m. A lively group of children returning from a girls' school – Colégio Imaculada Conceição in Botafogo, perhaps? – crowds onto the sidewalk, which is not wide enough to hold them all. At the stop, a first-class streetcar headed for Largo dos Leões, Botafogo (via Catete, Marquês de Abrantes, and Voluntários da Pátria), pulling a second-class car; this one, packed full. All of them wearing hats. Right behind, comes the streetcar bound for Águas Férreas, today's Cosme Velho.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban scene. On the left, there is a lamppost with a clock and lamps. In front of it, several children are walking toward a streetcar platform. On the right, the streetcar is stopped, with people boarding and disembarking. On the roof of the streetcar, there is a sign that reads "PARADA." In the background, there are trees and a clear sky.

In detail, we see that the group of kids draws the attention of almost all the passengers on the tram, except two: a venerable old gentleman wearing a suit and bowler hat and sitting in the third row, who doesn't take his eyes off his newspaper, and the inspector, standing at the back of the tram and focused on his notes. Girls' schools, as we well know, had already existed here since the mid-19th century. But only for a minority. On this subject, it's also worth remembering that women's entry into elementary education in Rio, as teachers, was a slow and gradual process – it was only at the end of the 19th century that women began to be admitted into teacher-training courses, which encouraged their involvement in teaching both girls and boys; the latter, only up to about 14 years of age.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban scene. On the left, a group of children is standing, wearing hats and formal clothing. On the right, there is a train with several people inside it. The seats are metallic and the passengers are sitting or standing. On top of the train, the number "195" is visible.

What was meant to be just a photograph for Light, about the tram services, can bring up so much more. And how much information there is in this detail! The girls' elaborate uniform can be admired from head to toe. Among the accessories, we see umbrellas and... what is that little bag carrying? And what were the school supplies like back then? This same detail brings to mind another fact: that school uniforms in public elementary schools, around here, were likewise a novelty in the early 20th century. But the rules were so strict that the supposed good intentions — that is, to make students equal through the way they dressed — ended up discriminating even more against the attendance of the less fortunate — mostly made up of the Black population, historically kept apart from access to classrooms. So many stories and so many memories, in the trajectory of elementary education in our city...

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of several children and adults in an urban setting. On the left side, two girls walk together, wearing school uniforms with skirts and hats. Ahead of them, an adult, possibly a teacher, is in motion, wearing a hat and formal attire. In the background, a group of women, also wearing hats, is gathered near a stone fountain. They are dressed in elegant early twentieth-century clothing, including long coats and skirts. Behind them, there is a figure of a military police officer.

Here is one of Mortimer's most beautiful photographs, taken in 1910, of the terminal station of the old Estrada de Ferro d. Pedro II, inaugurated in 1858, where today we have another building belonging to the E. F. Central do Brasil, inaugurated in 1943. In the square in front of the station there are trams to Lapa, Estrela street in Rio Comprido, and the ferries at Praça XV — not to mention those in the background whose signboards are not legible. Behind the building, the Providência hill. In those days, Campo de Santana extended almost to that point. And the João Ricardo tunnel, connecting Central to the port area, had not yet been opened. From there, trains departed for the states of Rio, São Paulo, and Minas. And that station was, and still is, the best option for anyone needing to travel from downtown to a number of neighborhoods in the Zona Norte and Baixada Fluminense.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a square with a large historic building in the center. On the left, there is a row of trees and lampposts. In the center, a large building with classical architecture, possibly a palace or station, with many windows and columns. On the right, there are more trees and a hill with vegetation. In front of the building, several people are walking and are in vehicles, including cars and trams. In the bottom right corner, there is an inscription "NBA21 MORTIMER PHOTOS".

In the space in front of the majestic building, the coat of arms of the Republic was oddly installed over a window below the large clock at the center of the façade — despite being centered and placed high up, as protocol dictates, the coat of arms sits right in front of a window, thus blocking light from entering through that opening. Large letters, "EFCB," were affixed to the balustrade, which were likely lit up at night. In front of the building, we see streetcars and carriages, as well as a statue honoring Cristiano Benedito Ottoni (1811-1896), considered the father of railroads in Brazil and the engineer responsible for building that station — in addition to being its director. The statue, now somewhat forgotten, is set into the base of the façade, at the corner by the entrance to the tower of Central do Brasil. And it's worth mentioning that the large statue by Almeida Reis that once topped the clock, titled "Progress," is now located at the UFRJ School of Fine Arts, on Fundão Island.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a building with classical architecture, possibly from the early twentieth century. On the left side, we see a horse-drawn carriage with people inside it. In front, there is a partially visible tree. In the center, a large monument featuring a statue stands out. In the background, we find an animal-drawn tram and some people walking. The main building has several arched windows and a clock on its facade. At the top, there is a sculpture of a figure on horseback.

Another detail from the same photograph catches the attentive observer's eye: amid moving trams and passers-by walking to and fro, an adult crouches down to listen to a child who has stopped, one foot in front of the other, gesturing with their hands while speaking... leaving us curious, wondering what is going on... And what might the feelings have been, for instance, of a child boarding a tram for the first time? Or being taken to the city center? These are just two possibilities among the many that the image can evoke. Over to the reader's imagination! It is also worth noting, besides the light fixtures and the trees, the elegance of the tram conductor, in the right-hand corner of the image.

Image description: This is a black and white photograph of an urban scene with people and a streetcar. On the left side, a person is walking, wearing a hat and a light-colored suit. In the central part, a man and a child are interacting in the middle of the street. In the background, there is a large streetcar with the sign "ESTRELLA" and the number "332." Behind the streetcar, other people are standing or sitting. There are trees and lampposts scattered throughout the image.