This paper discusses the theme of family life when Brazil was an empire, using the methodological approach of microhistory and by analyzing personal documents that belonged to the Ribeiro de Avellar family, who were wealthy landowners and proprietors of coffee plantations and slaves in Paty do Alferes, located in the Paraíba River Valley of the Province of Rio de Janeiro. The author focused on the analysis of photographic portraits in order to reflect upon the different means of circulation of images and the prevailing family ideal at the time.
Family history; Microhistory; Photography; Portraiture; Ribeiro de Avellar; Vale do Paraíba
