Jean Baptiste Debret, born in 1768 in Paris, was a French painter and lithographer whose name is inextricably linked to the visual documentation of Brazil in the early 19th century. A student of Jacques-Louis David, Debret traveled to Brazil in 1816 as a member of the so-called French Artistic Mission, where he lived and worked for nearly 15 years. His works, which capture Brazilian everyday life, indigenous peoples, slaves, festivals, and nature with a rare combination of ethnographic accuracy and artistic sensitivity, remain invaluable to Brazilian cultural history. Debret’s drawings and watercolors, later reproduced as lithographs, depict scenes ranging from the courtly world of the Portuguese monarchy to the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Particularly striking is his ability to faithfully render social hierarchies, clothing, gestures, and facial expressions, making his works unique historical documents.
Debret’s style is characterized by clear, almost sober lines, combined with subtle coloring that never becomes excessive. His compositions are often narrative in nature, giving the viewer the impression of being immersed in the scene. The scenes appear lively and authentic, without lapsing into sentimentality or romanticizing. Debret excelled at capturing Brazilian society in all its facets - from the opulent festivities of the upper class to the harsh living conditions of slaves. His works are not only artistically remarkable but also of great historical significance, offering a rare insight into an era that is otherwise only sparsely documented. Debret died in 1848 in Paris, but his artistic legacy endures in his detailed, empathetic depictions that continue to fascinate researchers, artists, and art lovers alike.
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.jpg "Indians Using a Fallen Tree-Trunk to Cross the Rio Paraiba do Sul, Illustration from")
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.jpg "Indians dancing at the San Jose Mission, from")
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_are_taken_by_slave_traders_-_(MeisterDrucke-972087).jpg "Slave Hunting. Indian Families Taken by Slave Traders by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Manacled slaves buying tobacco from a Tobacco shop in Rio de Janeiro, 1835 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Slave Woodcutters, from")
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.jpg "Return to the City of a Chacra Owner, 1835 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Meeting of Emperors Alexander I of Russia and Napoleon I of France at the Neman near Tilsit by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Brazil: Mountain Indian tribe by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Guaycuru Indians on Horseback, from Picturesque and Historic Voyage to Brazil, Brazil by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Indians Pulling the Bow by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Dom Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil, circa 1816 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Brazil: doll at the effigy of Judas and Devil burnt on Holy Saturday by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "A Lady of Some Means in Her House by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Cabocle Indian Hunting Birds with a Bow and Arrow, from Voyage Pittoresque et Historique au Bresil by Jean Baptiste Debret"){kind=icon}
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.jpg "Caboclo by Jean-Baptiste Debret 1834 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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_or_Aus_-_(MeisterDrucke-951115).jpg "The Arrival of Mary Leopoldine from Habsburg-Lorraine to Rio de Janeiro in 1817 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Travelling Saleswomen in Rio de Janeiro in 1827, from")
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.jpg "Black People Selling Coal and Maize, from")
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.jpg "The First Distribution of Crosses of the Legion of Honour in the Church of the Invalides, 14th July 1804, 1812 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "First remittance of the Legion of Honour, 15 July 1804, at Saint-Louis des Invalides by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Napoleon and the Bavarian and Wurttemberg Troops in Abensberg, 20th April 1809 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Free Negresses Earning a Living from Their Work, from")
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.jpg "Women Guarani, Interior of a Gipsy")
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.jpg "Shop for Selling Slaves by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Daily Life in Brazil, from")
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.jpg "Charrua Indians from")
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.jpg "Village of Cabocles in Cantagalo by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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_Pays_Homage_to_the_Courage_of_the_Wounded_1806_-_(MeisterDrucke-296053).jpg "Napoleon Pays Homage to the Courage of the Wounded, 1806 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Napoleon Gives the Cross of the Legion of Honor to a Russian Soldier in Tilsitt 1808 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "House for Rent, Horse and Goat for Sale, from")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1048575).jpg "Panorama of the Bay of Rio de Janeiro by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Group of black dancers, illustration from")
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.jpg "A Coroado Indian Giving the Signal for Attack, illustration from")
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.jpg "Watercolor by Debret, depicting himself in an inn by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Black Washerwomen by a River, from")
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.jpg "Native Archers, Illustration from the Travels in the Interior of Brazil, 1834 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Interior of a gipsy")
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.jpg "Flower Seller Outside a Church Door, from")
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_the_Grenadier_Lazareff_of_the_Cross_of_-_(MeisterDrucke-985153).jpg "Napoleon I Decorated in Tilsit the Grenadier Lazareff of the Cross of the Legion d")
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.jpg "Return to the City of a Chacra Owner by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1170855).jpg "Sellers of Grass by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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 Decorating the Grenadier Lazareff at Tilsit 8th Jult 1807 - (MeisterDrucke-65394).jpg "Napoleon Bonaparte Decorating the Grenadier Lazareff at Tilsit, 8th July 1807 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-409675).jpg "Centenary of the Legion of Honour (1804-1904) by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Bonaparte Haranguing the Bavarian and Württemberg Army in Abensberg by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Family of a Camacan Chief Preparing for a Feast by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Brazil Indians Wearing Animal Skins by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "The apothecary by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Transporting a White Child to be Baptised in a Church, from")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1422520).jpg "Embarcation at Praia Grande by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "The Marriage of Amelie of Leuchtenberg by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "First Distribution of the Legion of Honor Decorations in the Church of the Invalides, July 14, 1804 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Goyanas Indians, Pernam-Bouc, North East Brazil, from")
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 Emperor of Brazil Rio - (MeisterDrucke-233875).jpg "The Acclamation of Pedro I Emperor of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, 7th April 1831, illustration from")
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.jpg "Caboclo by Jean-Baptiste Debret 1834 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Review of the Troops Headed for Montevideo, at Praia Grande by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "First Distribution of the Cross of the Legion of Honour by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Boarding, on Praia Grande, of Troops Destined for the Blockade of Montivideu by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Landing of HRH Archduchess D. Carolina Leopoldina, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves, in Rio de Janeiro on 5 November 1817 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Slaves of Rio Janeiro, c. 1825-6 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "The Marriage of Amélie of Leuchtenberg and Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, 1829 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Indian call signal in Amazon by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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_(see_also_177054)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1423303).jpg "Indigenous Population of Cantagalo by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Hands of Horatius from The Oath of the Horatii by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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 1835 - (MeisterDrucke-39343).jpg "Black Women Selling Angou by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Second Marriage of Emperor Pedro I by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Goyana Indians in the Amazonian Forest. Lithography 1839 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Funerary Procession and Monument of Emperor Leopold, from")
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.jpg "Napoleon and Baron von Dalberg, Aschaffenburg, 2 October 1806 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Native Archers, Illustration from the Travels in the Interior of Brazil by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Gouaranis Women Going to Mass on Sunday, from")
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.jpg "Colored Lithographs by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Napoleon Pays Homage to the Courage of the Wounded by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Study for the Arrival of D. Leopoldina in Brazil by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1422334).jpg "Chief of the Bororenos preparing for an attack by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Argyreiosus Vomer by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Portrait of John VI of Portugal by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Temporary Acceptance of the Lisbon Constitution, Rio de Janeiro, 1821, illustration from")
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.jpg "Government Palace of São Paulo by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Indians crossing the Parahiba river by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Indians in Brazil by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "First distribution of the crosses of the Legion of Honour to the Church of the Invalides on July 14 by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Amazonian Indians chasing by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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.jpg "Charge of Cuangurus Indians by Jean Baptiste Debret")
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