Panoramic photograph of the entrance to Guanabara Bay, by photographer Marc Ferrez (1885)

Marc Ferrez takes one of the first photographs of Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro.

Panoramic photograph of the entrance to Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, by photographer Marc Ferrez. 33.2 cm x 11.5 cm. Around 1885, Rio de Janeiro. Excellent condition. Single piece.

In August 1839, Frenchmen Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre and Joseph-Nicéphore Niépce announced to the world the invention of daguerreotype. Only a few months later, compatriots of Daguerre and Niépce would take this new technology to Brazil – now known as photography – and portray the first images of Rio de Janeiro.

The spectacular beauty of Rio de Janeiro, its magnificent bay, its mountains and its vegetation would never cease to nourish the inspiration of one Frenchman in particular: Marc Ferrez (1843 - 1923), one of the pioneers of photography on Brazilian soil.

From the mid-1870s, he would become the only specialist in landscapes, while his professional colleagues turned their attention only to portraits, which were much more lucrative at the time. He used a Brandon camera, which allowed him to shoot 180 degrees, on large-format glass plates.

The first images of Rio de Janeiro, with a few colonial-style buildings and fishermen's houses, where today the urbanized beaches are located, enchant admirers of the city. This original print, in perfect condition and recently discovered in Brazil, is a great classic of the panoramic view of the Rio de Janeiro capital. As Marc Ferrez was one of the pioneers of daguerreotype in the country, his photographs are always coveted by the greatest collectors.