Cachoeiras, saltos e cataratas: vistos por naturalistas e artistas durante os séculos XIX e XX

Abstract

Abstract

The drawings, paintings, observations, and descriptions tell and portray Brazilian nature during the 19th and early 20th

centuries. In this way, they constitute privileged sources for examining what and how naturalists described and

explained the origin of rivers and waterfalls. The surveys were conducted using works of art, textbooks, and other

documentary sources from visits, field trips, and expeditions. Visual representations became means of disseminating

knowledge about nature. Explanations and interpretations reveal controversies and theoretical and practical challenges

regarding erosion, continental denudation, energy sources, and rock characteristics. The objective of this study is to

illuminate the history of how representations of waterfalls helped to disseminate explanations about their origin and the

factors responsible for their formation. It aims to promote the History of Science and create case studies to integrate

into the basic level for educational curriculum. It is possible to recognize that the History of Science can be interrelated

with the History of Art to disseminate knowledge about relatively a bit known authors: John Branner, Miguelzinho Dutra,

and Almeida Junior.

Keywords: History of Science, XIXth century, theories on the origin of waterfall