Barbosa Rodrigues in his cabinet: image, history, and science

Abstract

Throughout the years there has been many works published about Barbosa Rodrigues’ life and work, especially regarding his botanic and ethnographic research, his expedition to Amazonia, and his period as director of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. In these works, one photograph had a recurring appearance: Barbosa Rodrigues sitting in his cabinet. In this paper, we propose to analyse that photograph as a historical document to reflect on the different layers of symbolism it carries and on the public image of science and scientists in contemporary scientific culture. When considered as historical documents, one can glance at the intentions and designs behind photographs, which can reveal information about social and power relations, biographies, and in this case, the scientific work of a botanist in his cabinet.