Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Picturing Portuguese People

Recruits of the Province of Estremadura
Recruits of the Province of Estremadura



A Franciscan Friar and a clergyman as seen before the abolition of their Order
A Franciscan Friar & a lay brother, as seen before the abolition of their Order



Portugal costumes in watercolour album
Clergymen



gouache sketches of 2 Portuguese people from 19th century
A milk woman & a fishmonger



A soldier of the Provisorial Battalions, + a National Guard
A soldier of the Provisorial Battalions, + a National Guard



Bull fighters
Bull Fighters



Dezembargadores, or Members of the Hight Court of Justice
Dezembargadores, or Members of the Hight Court of Justice



Inhabitants of the frontiers of Alentejo
Inhabitants of the frontiers of Alentejo



Members of the Municipal Corps in grand galla dress + deep mourning
Members of the Municipal Corps in grand galla dress + deep mourning



Nuns of the Order of St Bernard and St Francis
Nuns of the Order of St Bernard and St Francis



Peasants of Madeira
Peasants of Madeira



Peasants of Upper Beira
Peasants of Upper Beira



Western inhabitants of Madeira
Western inhabitants of Madeira



Pedlars
Pedlars



Usual female attire in Portugal
Usual female attire in Portugal



'Picturesque Review of the Costume of the Portuguese' is an album of twenty one gouache sketches from about 1836, owned and hosted by the National Library of Portugal.

The only background appears to be a circumstantial relationship with another album from the same time period, but the identity of the artist is not known.

I suspect that the album was produced by a Portuguese artist as a memento for sale or as a gift for a British tourist. The sketches are sympathetic and most I would describe as quaint portraits. Even the true caricatures are gently humorous without any hint of malevolence. The language in the title and in some of the captions is just a little skewed or unusual, more likely associated with a non-native speaker, to my mind. I may of course be completely wrong. It's a sweet little series in any event.

All of the images above have been fairly extensively - but not severely - cleaned up, including removal of the library stamps. There was quite a bit of age related background staining.

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