The Leuzinger's - City, family, traveling and book publishing in the 19th century

• Grant number: 25/00505-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology - Theory of Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: Heloísa André Pontes
• Grantee: Gabriela Costa Limão
• Supervisor: Monica Raisa Schpun
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: École Des Hautes Études En Sciences Sociales, France
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/02319-6 - Inside Leuzinger's - City, family, traveling and book publishing in the 19th century, BP.DR

Abstract

This project presents a proposal for an internship that will contribute to my research into the trajectory of the Brazilian publisher Casa Leuzinger. This publishing house was founded in 1840 by the Swiss Georges Leuzinger, photographer and editor, in Rio de Janeiro, a city that was also the main theme of many of his most important publications. Its main characteristic was internationalization: the trade established with other publishers, especially in Paris, and with artists, scientists and printing professionals. The proposal for this exchange in Paris aims to establish research into image archives and the history of 19th century publishing available in France. These files will feed my analysis of different dimensions of the trajectory of this publisher, inseparable from the history of Rio de Janeiro and Europe, the Imperial period and its effort to build a European-inspired nation, and the political, artistic and cultural scene of the 19th century. Furthermore, as proposed from the beginning of my project, the life of the Leuzinger family was intrinsically associated with the professional life of the editor and, therefore, these members life in Europe always interests me: their first generation life before the immigration to Brazil , the second generation trips to Europe - those that involved editorial work (for the sons) or international marriages (for the daughters) - and which established a path for the images, people and books circulation. It is possible to verify the presence of Casa Leuzinger in Europe, as well as seek information about the commercial agreements between this publisher and other establishments on the international scene - such as the Lemercier lithography and publishing house and the Musée Goupil, for example. Among the Leuzingers we can find artists, researchers, intellectuals, travelers from the 19th century, especially foreigners who found refuge where German, French and Portuguese were spoken. Therefore, we want to deepen the reflections during the orientation period with professor Monica Raisa Schpun (Center for Research on Contemporary Brazil), at the École des Hautes Études, in Paris.