A cidade de São Paulo e a era dos melhoramentos materiaes: Obras públicas e arquitetura vistas por meio de fotografias de autoria de Militão Augusto de Azevedo, datadas do período 1862-1863

Abstract

The first photographs of São Paulo, taken by Militão Augusto de Azevedo between 1862 and 1863, are always cited as documentary evidence of the city's backwardness, deterioration, and lethargy in the mid 19th century. However, our view is that things were quite different, based on a reading of prime sources dating back to that period. In fact, the architecture and urban spaces of São Paulo already showed clear signs of modernization between the years 1850 and 1860, as depicted in Azevedo's photographs, which belong to the collection of Paulista Museum and also of the Iconography and Museums Division of the São Paulo Heritage Department.