European Pioneers of São Paulo City Letterpress Printing

German, Italian, Portuguese and French Contributions to Brazilian Print Culture

Abstract

Printing in São Paulo started in 1827, and expanded, at the turn of the 20^th century, with the massive arrival of European immigrants, setting the city as an important editorial and printing centre. Names and nationalities of those who produced graphic artefacts during the first 100 years of printing in São Paulo were identified, aiming at a better understanding of the foreign influences in the city's early printing industry. From which countries did São Paulo printers import their printing supplies? What kind of network existed between immigrant printers and their countries of origin? What aesthetic influences can be observed in the typefaces circulating in São Paulo during this period? The research methods applied for answering those questions involved data collection from primary sources and the development of a database. Most of the owners of the companies identified were of German, Italian, Portuguese, or French origin, or descended from immigrants from these countries.

Parole chiave: Scambio internazionale, storia del design, cultura della stampa, influenze transnazionali, industrializzazione.