QuilombodoLeblon

As camélias do quilombo do Leblon Nas lapelas ... O que fazer Chegando aqui? As camélias do Quilombo do Leblon Brandir

The excerpt above is from a song by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. It refers to one of the most important abolitionist quilombos of the late 19th century: the Quilombo do Leblon.

Around 1881, the Portuguese José de Seixas Magalhães, owner of a leather suitcase factory in downtown Rio, bought some land in the then-distant neighborhood of Leblon and began growing camellias there.

Just like his friends João Clapp, José Carlos do Patrocínio, Joaquim Nabuco, and Joaquim Serra (founders of the Confederação Abolicionista in 1883), Seixas was an abolitionist and, in order to cultivate these rare flowers, received help from countless enslaved people who, having escaped, sought refuge in what became known as the Quilombo do Leblon.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. The image shows a landscape with a house on the left, a man seen from behind walking to the right, and a series of buildings and trees in the background. There is a large rock on the left and a hill covered with vegetation in the background.

This quilombo emerged amid the final crisis of the slavery system in Brazil, when abolitionist discourse gained followers among members of the country's intellectual and political elite and gave rise to a new model of resistance, the abolitionist quilombo, different from the traditional model of resistance, the breakaway quilombo. The Quilombo do Leblon sheltered fugitives and promoted abolitionist meetings and events, counting on important allies, such as Princess Isabel and Rui Barbosa. Its subversive camellias adorned the Palácio das Laranjeiras, then the princess's residence and today the seat of the State government. The camellia was a relatively rare plant in Brazil, like the freedom that people sought to win.

Image description: This is a black-and-white illustration, likely from an illustrated magazine from 1888. The scene depicts a family in an elegant interior. On the left side, there is a table covered with a white cloth, adorned with flowers and a framed portrait. In front of the table stands a boy holding a hat. On the right side, an adult man and an adult woman are talking. In the background, an elderly woman and two men are walking through the doorway. Everyone appears to be in a formal and respectful setting.

By the end of the 19th century, anyone who wore a camellia on their lapel or grew one in their home garden was declaring themselves an abolitionist. It is also said that the flower was used as a way of identifying possible allies for those seeking to escape the condition of captivity. At the signing of the Lei Áurea, on 05/13/1888, Princess Isabel received two bouquets of the rare flowers: João Clapp presented her with an artificial bouquet, and José de Seixas gave her a natural one, which, with all their symbolism, came to be called the Camellias of Freedom.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white engraving. In the scene, we see a group of people gathered indoors. On the left side, a man holds a baby and is looking at a woman who is receiving a bouquet of flowers. The woman is dressed in traditional attire, possibly African, and is smiling as she receives the bouquet. In the background, other individuals watch the central interaction. The text in the image reads: "A S.A. foi entregue um bouquet, pelo filho do cidadão Clapp, em nome dos escravos fugidos, do quilombo Seixas."

Revista Illustrada, 1888 n. 496. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional