ThroughthestreetsofRio-CuriousOnlookers

In the early decades of the twentieth century, there were many novelties to dazzle pedestrians on the streets of Rio. The rollout of new electric power services involved operations that drew crowds of citizens eager to watch those events unfold. Even the simple removal of a heavy cast-iron cover from a distribution box, using a lever that required the brute force of three men, was enough to arouse curiosity. And what a photograph! Look at the clothes, the variety of hats, the shoes. And the blurred figure of the man crossing the street, the automobile in the background, the lamppost with its lights, the slender trunk of the newly planted tree. The tram tracks, freshly laid, crossing the street. The Portuguese-stone pavement, yet another of the novelties brought in by Pereira Passos. This was modern Rio.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph showing a group of people around a hole dug in the ground. On the left, two men in suits are watching the hole. Two workers, wearing shirts and a vest, are pulling a large horizontal bar through the hole. In the background, there is an old car and a person walking. The building in the background has classical architecture with columns and windows. On the ground, it reads "Rio, May 28, 08 Standard Vault Entrance."

This photograph was taken on the occasion of the installation of a new transformer in an underground chamber in Copacabana in the early 1960s, when the neighborhood's process of vertical growth was in full swing. Buildings crammed one against the other, even advancing up the hillsides; a road with no turning back. In the background, one can see the Agulhinha do Inhangá, also known as Bico de Papagaio or Pedra do Cão, on the Morro São João.

Image description: This is a black and white photograph showing an urban scene. On the left, there is a truck with workers in white uniforms. They are standing or sitting on the truck, which has a sign reading "ATENÇÃO RIO LIGHT SA" and "HOMENS TRABALHANDO." In the background, there are several tall buildings with many windows. On the right, there are cars parked on the street and some trees. The image appears to depict a work activity on the streets of Rio de Janeiro.

In the detail, the sign in the foreground reads: “Attention. Rio Light S. A. Men working.” Men working; but the women and children are watching. A sign of new times, half a century after the previous photo: the woman wears long trousers and leads the child right up close to the entrance of the underground chamber; the little one's curiosity and fascination are evident. The experienced worker in his overalls, however, casts a look of disapproval, perhaps, or at least of watchfulness, toward the young citizen wearing nothing but shorts and holding a straw hat in his hand. This one seems to be waiting his turn to get closer to the big attraction. In the 1960s, the use of clogs, like the ones we see on the feet of the worker in the foreground on the left, was still common. He wears gloves, but boots were not yet mandatory; when it comes to safety equipment, how far we've come!

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph showing an urban scene. On the left, a person stands near a military vehicle, wearing jeans and a white shirt. In the center, several people are interacting near a truck. A small child is being held by a woman dressed in white. On the right, a shirtless man walks by, wearing shorts. In the background, there are old parked cars and buildings with balconies.

In the 1960s, Light invested heavily in installing underground cables in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In places like the one we see here, galleries had already been built previously, and the challenge then was to run the new cables through. Considerable human effort was involved. This became an attraction for onlookers, like the well-dressed young citizen with an impeccable hairstyle, hands in his pockets, posing for the photographer and thus enriching the context of the image – without him there, let's admit it, it would be a different story.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph showing an urban scene. On the left side, we see a man standing, holding a large coil of electrical cable. Beside him, there is a large coiled rubber hose. In the center, two men are sitting on the ground, working with equipment. One of them is wearing a hat. On the right, another man stands watching the scene. The ground is paved with small, evenly laid stones. There is also a metal bucket in the lower left corner of the image.