Once in a while I take a chance on the unknown. Usually I just waste time and money... Anyway, in June or so of 2004 I spent about $10 dollars on Ebay for 5 rolls of black and white film labeled "Rio 1936 and 1937" (as seen by clicking on the thumbnail on the left). As you may have noticed I am fastinated by the old Rio de Janeiro, that existed from around 1920 until about 1960 - with its quaint, friendly atmosphere, streetcars, bohemian life and easy-going spirit. This was the land and time of the malandro - the archtype of the Carioca. After 1960 everything changed: the Capital moved to Brasilia, the bondes were taken off the streets, the military took over the government, the samba schools became professionalized, the city expanded to the in all directions, the crime rate exploded, the old sambas gave way to Bossa Nova, the old American cars were replaced by VWs, DKWs, Willys and Simcas, historic buildings were torn down, and so on...
1. Praça Maua. The first picture is the of the port area docs, with a ocean liner in the background. This is at the very end of Rio Branco Avenue. By coincidence, it was near this spot that I first set foot in Brazil after a 21 day trip in the German cargo ship Cap Bonavista (picture here: 
). It was all very new and exciting. I still remember walking back to the docks with the family at night (yes, in the 1960's you could walk around the worse parts of Rio at night) and seeing the largest rats I've ever seen in my life. They looked like pacas, not rats!
2. Av. Rio Branco. I guess they were fascinated by the FASANELLO truck in the traffoc on Rio Branco Avenue. I never heard of this company or store (whatever!), but one day I came across this postcard on Ebay.
3. Seaplane. The tourist took this picture of a seaplane coming in to land in the Guanabara Bay. I think Santos Dumont airport had already been built, but seaplanes were still common. This was, after all, the great days of the clippers and the great German flying boats. One day I'm going to write a page about Rio, the flying boats and the Zeppelins.
4. Botofogo. Notice the sea wall and promenade. The beaches along the bay were quite different in the 1930s. In fact, there were really no beaches, just a sea wall and a promenade. It wasn't until the late 1940s that the landfills and gardens were added to Gloria, Flamengo and Botafogo. The only areas that have retained the old look is along the Urca district.
5. One less Hill. A picture of another hill being removed to make room for construction of an apartment building. I think this is near Morro da Viuva, in the Flamango area, because of the sequence in the rolls of film. The picture was probably taken at an angle and the building in the background is really vertical.
6. Hollywood sign. So there was a giant "GOODYEAR" sign on Urca Hill under Sugarloaf at one time. The Urca district had just been built on a landfill. The famous Casino da Urca is visible in the middle of the picture.
7. Revolution. The Gingos took a picture of the military building on Praia Vermelha (Red beach) near Sugarloaf. If I remember correctly there had been a Communist revolt in 1935 led by Luis Carlos Prestes, but quickly put down by President-dictator Getulio Vargas. The damage done by shells and gunfire is clearly visible.
8. Petropolis. Just like today, a visit to the Royal City is a must. Petropolis is a city in the mountains (about 50 miles from Rio) where the Emperor went in the summer to escape the tropical heat of Rio de Janeiro. The trip and road up to Petropolis and nearby cities is very scenic.
9. Quinta da Boa Vista. The touists go to the one-time residence of the Emperor, which is now a Museum of Natural History, a Park and the home of the Zoological Gardens.
10. Copacabana. A picture of the beach and the famous sidewalk mosaics of Copacabana's Avenida Atlantica. Except for the one picture of Rio Branco Avenue above, the traffic in all other pictures is so good!
11. Ipanema and Leblom. A picture from Vista Chinesa (Chinese Viewpoint) in the Floresta da Tijuca mountains above Rio. Where are all the tall apartment buildings?
12. Gavea. A picture of Gavea area taken from the same point as above. Notice my thumbprint on the film. Sorry!
13. Corcovado. And just like all modern tourists, they must go up to Corcovado and see the Christ statue. I guess at one time the face of the statue was damaged above the eye. They have even taken a close-up of the damaged area, which I added to the picture. I have written a page about this statue, which is here: 
.
14. The Couple. There are several photographs of people who I presume are the ones that took all these pictures. Here they are on Corcovado. I have no idea who they are. The rolls of film had no names on it, and the person on Ebay who sold the items said he didn't know either.
Fasanello. This is not part of the film, but I saw this postcard on Ebay. At least I know what "Fasanello" is now. I didn't buy the postcard.
All Topics Here!
Return to the Main Subject Index by clicking on the "Topics and Updates" icon on the left.
