From Cancela to portraits of Brazil

Joaquim Insley Pacheco was born in the place of Cancela, in Refojos de Basto, according to the Museum of Lands of Basto. Photographer and painter, became one of Brazil's outstanding portraitists. The Brazilian National Library documents his appointment as Photographer of the Imperial House in 1855. History thus links a place of the municipality to the early days of photography in Brazil.

The exhibition of the National Library adds a learning link: Pacheco was a student of Frederick Walter, who arrived in Fortaleza in 1847 with daguerreotype equipment and also acted as a magician. Photography, teaching and show intersect in this story of the first professionals.

The recognition of 1855 places Pacheco in Rio de Janeiro and in the court of D. Pedro II. It is three points to follow the biography: the place of origin, learning and professional recognition. The relationship between them helps to discover how a history of Refojos participates in a broader history of the image.

Do you want to move from biography to image? The presentation of 2016 on the official blog of the National Library shows a portrait of D. Pedro II, dated 1883 and attributed to Pacheco, from the collection of the institution. The legend allows to connect an author name, a person portrayed, a date and a collection. It is a concrete example to observe at the source and compare with the photographer's history.