⚓ MARKET RAMP AND CAPOEIRA
Pierre Verger
since 1947
We are starting with the ABC of Pierre Verger. Then we are talking about the scene of capoeira in the old ramp of the Model Market and we are showing in detail capoeira on the ramp using Verger's photos.
⛵ THE ABC OF PIERRE VERGER
1902 - Pierre Edouard Leopold Verger was born in Paris on the 4th November.
1932 - Learned photograhy from his friend Pierre Boucher.
1933 - Started to travel around the world as a photographer.
1946 - Arrived in Salvador.
1947 - His photographies started to be published in the magazine (O Cruzeiro). He registerred capoeira scenes on the ramp of the Model Market (M Juvenal), in Liberdade (M Waldemar), in Bigode (M Pastinha) and in Ribeira (M Gigante).
1948 - Traveled to Africa and Suriname.
1949 - Traveled to Haiti.
1953 - Received the name Fatumbi.
1957 - Traveled to Cuba.
1960 - Bought a house in Salvador in Vila América.
1966 - Got the doctor's title from the University of Sorbonne.
1973 - Started to work as a teacher in the Federal University of Bahia.
1996 - Died on the 11th February.
⛵ CAPOEIRA ON THE MARKET RAMP
We have tons of photos made by Pierre Verger. For what we know the first of these was published in the magazine O Cruzeiro on 3rd May 1947, see more here.
Lühning and Pamfílio in 2012 published a work titled «The winding ins and outs between oral history and photographic documentation: capoeira in Salvador on Pierre Verger's photos». In it they indentified 5 groups of photos on the market ramp (the numbers indicate the positions on the map below):
1 Group of MESTRE JUVENAL with his students close to the wall [warehouse?] of the Naval Dockyard*, on the Quays of the Port in the Lower City of Salvador - 23 photos.
2 Different DOCKERS AND PORTERS playing in the work interval in front of the wall of the Naval Dockyard - 19 photos.
3 Game of capoeiristas ANTÔNIO AND REGINALDO EVANGELISTA [probably Antônio and Reginaldo, the third was called João Evangelista] in front of the Model Market [better on the market ramp] in the Lower City - 38 photos.
4 Game [roda] in the place known as the MARKET RAMP, possibly showing Mestre Canjiquinha [no confirmation!] - 24 photos.
5 SEPARATE SCENES in different locations - Boa Viagem feast, in Ribeira, in front of the Lacerda elevator [better on the old market ramp] (among others with the visual artist Carybé, Reginaldo and Américo Pequeno), on streets, squares and on the beach - 41 photos.
* Naval Dockyard of Salvador was the forerunner of the 2nd Naval District of Brazil. For some time it had on its market ramp side a warehouse and a wall (the gold square and line on the map, photos right below). It's important and the background of many Pierre Verger's capoeira photos. By 1960 a bigger building had been erected in its place.
⛵ THE WAREHOUSE AND THE WALL OF THE NAVAL DOCKYARD (red square on the photos)
1 MESTRE JUVENAL
The work of Lühning and Pamfílio from 2012 mentions 19 photos of Mestre Juvenal's group with his students close to the wall [warehouse?] of the Naval Dockyard, in the Port Quays of the Lower City of Salvador. We have 14 photos in our possession (some in the gallery right below).
A good part of these photos were used in the article Capoeira kills one! in 1948, see here.
Note the little windows of the warehouse.
Using the photos as reference we positioned M Juvenal's roda on the market ramp as shown on the map in the end (number 1).
2 DOCKERS AND PORTERS
Lühning and Pamfílio in 2012 mention 19 photos of different dockers and porters in the work interval in front of the wall [warehouse?] of the Naval Dockyard. We have 11 photos in our possession (some in the gallery right below).
Some photos make part of the article Capoeira kills one! of 1948, see here.
Using the photos as reference we positioned the dockers and porters on the market ramp as shown on the map in the end (number 2).
3 ANTÔNIO AND REGINALDO
Lühning and Pamfílio in 2012 mention 38 photos of the game of capoeiristas Antônio and Reginaldo in front of the Model Market [better on the market ramp] in the Lower City. We have 18 photos in our possession (some in the gallery right below).
Using the photos as reference we positioned the two players on the market ramp as shown on the map in the end (number 3).
4 MARKET RAMP
Lühning and Pamfílio in 2012 mention 24 photos of the game [roda] in the place known as the market ramp, possibly showing Mestre Canjiquinha [no confirmation!]. We have 16 photos in our possession (some in the gallery right below).
Using the photos as reference we positioned the roda on the market ramp as shown on the map in the end (number 4).
5 6 SEPARATE SCENES
Lühning and Pamfílio in 2012 mention 41 photos of separate scenes in different places - Boa Viagem feast, in Ribeira, in front of the Lacerda elevator [better on the old market ramp] (among others with the visual artist Carybé, Reginaldo and Américo Pequeno), on streets, squares and on the beach. See some photos right below.
Note the sailboats at the back of the roda.
Using the photos as reference we positioned the roda on the market ramp as shown on the map in the end (numbers 5 and 6).
⛵ OTHER PHOTOS AND A VIDEO OF CAPOEIRA ON THE RAMP
There's more photos of other capoeiristas on the market ramp:
7 Mestre Pastinha, M Camafeu de Oxóssi, M Gato Preto, M Gildo Alfinete, M Roberto Satanás and M João Grande on the market ramp in 1966 before going to Dakar.
Using the photos as reference we positioned the roda on the market ramp as shown on the map in the end (number 7).
8 A documentary «A Day on the Ramp» (1957) by Luiz Paulino dos Santos shows capoeiristas not yet identified playing on the market ramp. In the video below capoeira starts at 7:44.
Using the video as reference we positioned the roda on the market ramp as shown on the map in the end (number 8).
