Brazilian Football Caricatures at the Museu Afro Brasil

Back in August, I visited the Museu Afro Brasil in São Paulo, which (conviently for me) had an exhibition looking at the impact of black players in the country's football history. As well as the usual displays and films about Garrincha, Pelé, et al, there was an enjoyable collection of caricatures, published (mainly) in the newspaper A Gazeta Esportiva during the 1950s and 60s. The images below provide a nice snapshot, I think, of a football culture steeped in glorious ephemeral detail; one in which players are (or at least were) immediately recognisable by their nicknames, the club they represented, and their personality on the pitch. I'm posting them up here just on the off chance that you find them as charming as I did.

(The images may be a little blurry...partly due to my poor photography skills, and partly because Blogspot seems to pixellate everything I upload. Try clicking to get them in full size/better quality.)

(Photo credits; all writer's own.)