Revista Illustrada
Revista Illustrada was a Brazilian satirical, political, abolitionist and republican magazine. It was founded in Rio de Janeiro by Italian-born Brazilian illustrator Angelo Agostini, being issued from 1876 to 1898.
Features
With eight pages, the magazine had a weekly circulation of four thousand copies portraying the events that occurred in a satirical way. It had no sponsors, nor did it run advertisements, and its only livelihood came from the sale of copies. This was, however, only during the first phase of publication.The magazine had two distinct phases:
- The first, under the direction of Agostini, lasted until the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889, when Agostini – as well as emperor Pedro II – left the country; the latter, on account of the military coup; the former, for having run off with a mistress.
- The second phase, under the direction of caricaturist Pereira Neto, worked intermittently. Agostini's return, in 1895, made Pereira just an employee. The magazine disappeared, definitively, shortly after.
Pioneering in comics
In 1884, Revista Illustrada published what is considered the first comic book in Brazil. As Aventuras de Zé Caipora, aimed at children, brought to light the character that would come to be recurring in the magazine.Zé Caipora was features in covers of the magazine, such as number 369 and, when the 12-year commemorative edition of the magazine was published, a double sheet drawing was made on the central pages, a kind of poster, with the character.
Opposition to the monarchy
Owner of an unmistakable trait, Agostini – who had already participated as an illustrator for other publications – started his own weekly edition of the magazine, quickly becoming one of the great publications opposing the monarchic regime and slavery.In its pages Agostini attacked the figure of emperor Pedro II in a persistent and acidic way, being considered one of those responsible for the deterioration of the monarch's public image. In an 1882 edition, the magazine brings a comic story where the emperor is accused of covering up the crown jewel thieves, as if he were their accomplice. Such attacks exerted great influence on contemporary public opinion.
Its anti-slavery stance was so polished that one of the main leaders of abolitionism, Joaquim Nabuco, nicknamed it the "Bible of Abolition". At the time of the Golden Law, the magazine dedicated an issue whose cover became famous with the figuration of the party for the end of slavery.