[STEINMANN Johann Jacob] Souvenirs de Rio de Janeiro, dessinés d’après nature et publiés par J. Steinmann.

Borba de Moraes, II, 839; Palau (for an edition dated 1839); Not in Abbey.

A magnificent album of views of Rio de Janeiro, coloured at the time.

Brazil held immense appeal for 19th-century artists, and the numerous illustrated albums and travel books that immortalise the luminous landscapes, the unusual aspects of a constantly evolving society and the popular customs bear witness to this interest. Among these collections that introduced Brazil to Europe, this precious album is one of the finest examples.

Very little information is available on Johann Jacob Steinmann (1800–1844), a Swiss lithographer and draughtsman, regarded as the pioneer of lithography within the official institutions of Rio de Janeiro. Hired by the Military Archives, he arrived in Brazil in October 1825, accompanied by his wife and daughter, disembarking from the brigantine Cecília, which had sailed from France. His arrival in Brazil was the result of agreements reached with the Brazilian government’s representative in Paris, who had hired him to take up the art of lithography in Rio de Janeiro as the ‘Emperor’s lithographer’, that is to say, the official lithographer, under the supervision of the Archives and the Military Academy.

Steinmann had begun his studies in 1821, joining Engelmann’s lithographic workshop in Mulhouse, Alsace. He subsequently honed his skills under Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, who was based in Paris, where the Brazilian chargé d’affaires met him. He brought with him all the equipment necessary for teaching the art of lithography in Brazil. Whilst he worked for Seignot-Plancher, the Parisian publishing house established in Rio de Janeiro, and for the Imperial Printing Office, Steinmann also carried out work on his own account, making use of the facilities, presses and apprentices provided to him by the government.

This magnificent album, entitled Souvenirs de Rio de Janeiro, consists of twelve watercolours, presented on separate sheets mounted on thick paper, whose lithographed border features, amidst arabesques and ornamental motifs of a naturalistic nature, small scenes of Brazilian customs interwoven within a meticulous profusion of tropical foliage and fruit. The title page features, within the frame, two columns of tropical plant motifs, framing typically Brazilian scenes

This series was produced based on drawings by various artists who stayed in Brazil between 1825 and 1833. The 12 aquatints, enhanced with watercolours and gum arabic, measure 161 mm x 126 mm and are titled:

1-Caminho dos orgaõs, drawing by Steinmann

2-Vista tomada de S^ta Thereza, drawing by Kretschmer

3-Largo Do Paço, drawing by Victor Barat

4-Vista Do Sacco d’Alferès & de St Cristovao, drawing by Steinmann

5-Vista de N.S.Da Gloria et Da Barra do Rio de Janeiro, drawing by Kretschmer

6-Moro do Castello & Da Praya d’Ajuda, drawing by Steinmann

7-Bota Fogo, drawing by Steinmann

8-Novo Friburgo (Swiss Colony, Ao Morro Queimado), drawing by Steinmann

9-St Joao De Carahy, A praya grande, drawing by Steinmann

10-Igreja de St Sebastiaõ, drawing by Steinmann

11-Plantaçaõ de Café, drawing by Steinmann

12-Ilha das Cobras, drawing by Steinmann

The question of the edition appears difficult to resolve; whilst it seems an edition appeared as early as 1835 in Basel, Borba de Moraes nevertheless points out that Rittner and Goupil may have been the custodians of the album and that “All bookdealers who bought it could print their names on the cover where a space had been left blank for that purpose […] Many copies bear a date on the cover. I have seen copies dated 1835, and one with the title ‘Souvenirs de Rio de Janeiro dessinés d’après nature & publiés par J. Steinmann à Naples. Chez Rittner & Goupil à Paris, & Birman & Fils à Basle, 1834.’ I have also seen copies dated from 1834 to 1839 and a copy in which the number 6 has been cut out and ingeniously turned upside down to alter the date to 1839. Finally, undated copies also exist. These facts lead me to believe that the albums were distributed without a date and that the bookdealers dated, bound, and perhaps even coloured them.”

All pages bear an embossed ‘J.P.’ stamp.

The cover has a few stains and traces of old repairs, yet this is a magnificent copy of this remarkable album, notable not only for the beauty of its illustrations but also because it constitutes an indispensable document on Rio de Janeiro in the first half of the 19th century.

Provenance: Pimenta Camargo (bookplate) – Bonchristiano (bookplate).