ABSTRACT
In 1824 Maria Graham published Journal of a Voyage to Brazil and Residence there, during part of the years 1821, 1822, 1823. This chapter analyzes Graham’s distinctive vision of Brazil, its relationship to her (male) predecessors, and gender’s role in shaping that vision. Casting her female eyes on Brazil, Graham translated expeditionary narratives into travel literature in four major ways: 1) Setting the historical stage, Graham established herself as key witness to revolutionary events; 2) Collecting botanical specimens, she engaged in an activity associated with both naturalists and female amateurs and synthesized those dual perspectives; 3) Like many women travelers, she was confined to the city, but while there she expanded the canonical views of Rio de Janeiro; 4) Her ability to combine her on-site drawings with text facilitated her appropriation of Brazilian scenery into the aesthetic category of the Picturesque.
