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Handwritten letter from the Count D'Eu (1877)

Handwritten letter from the Count D'Eu (1877)

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Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Digital Warranty ©

This item is no longer available. However, we may be able to put you in touch with its owner – who knows, they might accept your offer! – or, alternatively, suggest other pieces of similar interest, without any obligation. Contact us via WhatsApp: +55 31 98221-5758 or by email: contato@glorias.com.br

Dom Pedro II shares three photographs of Damascus in Syria.

  • Handwritten letter from the Count of Eu.
  • One sheet.
  • In French.
  • 12.8 cm x 20.6 cm.
  • February 16, 1877.
  • Excellent condition.
  • Unique piece.

Translation from French to Portuguese

"The Emperor instructs us, the Princess and I, to send you the attached letter, as well as the small roll that accompanies it and contains three photographic views of the city of Damascus."

Who among us has never asked a friend traveling to the United States to bring us that latest technological release? Perhaps the cell phone of the year, or a computer with super memory—indeed, sometimes progress takes a while to reach our lands. However, it wasn't always like that. I can bet you didn't imagine that, in the 19th century, the best technology of the time arrived first on this side of the Atlantic. The reason? Dom Pedro II, the emperor of Brazil, a cultured man, a lover of arts and sciences, and an enthusiast of the innovations of the modern world. Pedro II fostered the founding of schools, theaters, and libraries, but he had a special passion: photography.

In 1836, the first photograph in human history was born from the hands of the Frenchman Joseph Niépce, who used a camera obscura. This invention quickly evolved, and the same Niépce, along with another French scientist, Daguerre, registered the invention of the daguerreotype, a primitive photographic camera, in 1839. Only 4 months later, the discovery was already news in Brazilian newspapers. It is worth remembering that, in the 19th century, this was a record time. Even more impressive is that, as early as 1840, the daguerreotype arrived in Brazil through the emperor, who has since gone down in the history of photography in the country.

Dom Pedro II promoted the production of daguerreotypes and photographic cameras in Brazil, and he himself recorded many moments of his life. Furthermore, he was a regular patron of pioneering national photographers and promoted the artistic and cultural development of the country, providing public and private aid, prizes, medals, and even scholarships for artists! Truth be told, Dom Pedro II was a visionary, for he understood, two centuries ago, that photography was an artistic expression and an important historical record. So much so that he even hired the renowned German photographer, Revert Henrique Klumb, to be Princess Isabel's photography teacher.

Moreover, the emperor, who was fascinated by traveling the world exploring historical regions, never did so without documenting the event, whether he was the photographer himself or someone hired to accompany him on his trips. These expeditions yielded hundreds of photos, not only of the imperial majesty but also of the places he visited. It is worth remembering that photography, in those times, was not as popular as it is today, which is why these first records of humanity's historical sites are now a source of study for historians and archaeologists worldwide.

The result of Dom Pedro II's passion for photography was the largest collection of early Brazilian photography. A collection of more than 25,000 photos that Dom Pedro II donated to the National Library when he was exiled from Brazil in 1889, when the republic was proclaimed. The cultural heritage he gathered, however, remains a treasure of the country. From the French monarch Louis XIV came one of humanity's most famous phrases: "L'État, c'est moi" (I am the State). However, Dom Pedro II uttered his own version of this grand slogan: "A ciência sou eu" (I am science).

An unusual fact: three of the main figures of the royal family are present in this French letter from 1877: Princess Isabel, Dom Pedro II, and the Count of Eu, who writes to an unknown recipient, a "Monsieur," perhaps a researcher?

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