Biographical writing and its sources: reflections on the collections of the baron of Rio Branco

Abstract

Without losing sight of the breadth and modulations of “biographical space”, I consider the personal archive and the private library as sources for the biographical writing centered on the intellectual trajectory. Based on this premise, I examine the relevance of the Baron of Rio Branco’s private collection to analyse the texts he produced, deepening reflections on the composition and organization of his archive and presenting considerations about his book collection. This analysis is not restricted to the items separately, but seeks to highlight the relationship they maintain with the group to which they belong. This allows the investigation to focus on aspects of the production context of these documentary sets, and enables the conception of these items as fragments of life. In this way, the article aims to intensify the exchange of knowledge between different areas in order to promote a more critical use of these sources, whether in biographical studies, intellectual history or other possibilities.