Following initiatives by different viceroys, the presence of the French Artistic Mission consolidated thinking about the city's urban character. The arrival of the Royal Court in Brazil promoted rapid changes to remodel Rio and transform the city into the “New Lisbon,” seat of the new United Kingdom. The arrival of French artists, in 1816, introduced the French neoclassical style and promoted urban reformulations in an attempt to bring the city closer to European standards. It is estimated that during the 13 years D. João VI lived in Brazil, the population doubled from 50/60 thousand to 120 thousand inhabitants, people who came from other regions of Brazil and the world to live in the new metropolis that was rising. In 1822, after D. João VI's return to Portugal and the revelation of the Portuguese liberals' intentions to set recolonization in motion, the Brazilian political elite pressured D. Pedro I, who chose to free Brazil from Portugal. Thus, the city of Rio de Janeiro became the capital of the new Empire.
Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving depicting a historic ceremony. The scene is set in a grand hall, with columns and classical architecture in the background. On the left, we see figures dressed in formal attire, including a man on a throne. In the center, two men in military uniforms stand in a respectful pose. On the right, a woman in a long dress is seated in a richly decorated chair. The floor is covered with carpets, and the lighting is soft, creating a formal and solemn atmosphere.Coronation ceremony of D. Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil, on December 1, 1822. Jean-Baptiste Debret, 1839. Pinacoteca de São Paulo Collection - Coleção Brasiliana
The coffee economy emerged as the leading export throughout the 19th century, contributing to a new phase of economic expansion. The city, undergoing transformation, increasingly attracted foreign capital which, invested in public sector areas — sewage, gas, transportation — through state concessions, contributed to the development of the urban network.
The process of aristocratization of urban space initiated to receive the Royal family consisted, among other things, of the construction of public and administrative buildings for the new Government, planned around squares - following the French style. This process was intensified in the post-independence period.
In this context, the number of inhabitants of the Corte already exceeded the housing supply, and between epidemics and housing crises, the population lived crowded together in the center of the Cidade Velha. The success of the coffee economy also attracted people from other regions of Brazil and the world, fueling the city's population contrast, which was, for the most part, made up of a Black population (among the enslaved, free, and freed), showing that, at the same time the city was undergoing processes of modernization and "civilization," it maintained practices tied to backwardness, such as the continuation of slavery.
The landscape was that of a divided city, in which the seeds of racism and exclusion were growing.
Image description: This is a colored print showing a shop in Valongo, as mentioned in the caption "BOUTIQUE DE LA RUE DU VAL-LONGO." The image features a structure with a wooden roof and light-colored walls. On the left, a group of people is seated on benches and chairs, wearing varied clothing. In the center, a woman is seated in a chair, wearing a yellow dress and a hat. On the right side, a man stands wearing a black suit and a hat, holding a cane. At the top of the image, there is a balcony with two open doors, revealing an interior space with a wooden floor.Despite all the modernization, the institution of slavery was maintained until the end of the 19th century. Rua do Valongo Market, by Jean Baptiste Debret, 1835. Biblioteca Nacional Collection.
The population growth of the Court led the elites to live in the same space as the poorer classes, distinguishing their housing only by form and appearance. This proximity bothered the bourgeoisie, which drew up its own plans for organizing urban space, this time thinking not only about aristocratization, but also about the segmentation of areas designated for the poor and the nobility.
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Especially from the second half of the 19th century onward, the areas to the south of the city increasingly came to be inhabited by members of the elite and nobility, who sought to live outside the cramped urban center of the Old City. The introduction of transportation starting in 1870, such as mule-drawn trams, also contributed to the expansion of the southern region.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. In the image, we see a two-wheeled cart pulled by two horses, moving along a sandy road. On the left, there are sand dunes with sparse vegetation. In the center, the cart is in motion, with people inside it. On the right, the terrain remains sandy, with more dunes and vegetation. The sky is clear, indicating a sunny day.In the early 20th century the mule-drawn tram could still be seen. In this image we see part of the neighborhood of Ipanema - still sparsely inhabited - around 1900. "Tram near the Arpoador rock." Photo by José Baptista Barreira Vianna - IMS.
