This article examines the celebrations of Brazilian independence in Rio de Janeiro from the early 1840s to the mid-1860s. It analyzes the surge of popular commemorations in the 1850s and examines the image of the Brazilian nation publicly manifested on the capital's streets. There was a significant, albeit socially circumscribed, identification with the Brazilian nation-state among the urban population.
Civic Rituals; Rio de Janeiro; Political Culture; Brazilian Independence Celebrations; Brazilian Empire.