A return to the "old simplicity": Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century

Abstract

The present article looks at Abolition and the formation of the Brazilian Republic through the lens of letters written by Cristiano Benedito Ottoni and his wife Bárbara Balbina de A.M. Ottoni to their grandsons in Paris from 1879 to 1892. These sources and other sources allow us to look at calls for a return to the "old simplicity" (Machado de Assis' phrase) in the light of how new rhythms of industrial production (timing and movement) of the industry impact upon people's intimacy and on family practices of social protection.

Social Protection; Dependency; Social Relations; Social Relations