WHAT THEY SAW, WHAT WE SEE
The exhibition, What they saw, what we see, presents the work of three amateur women photographers - Margarida Relvas (1867-1930), Mariana Relvas (1862-1952) and Maria da Conceição de Lemos Magalhães (1863-1949) – developed between the late 19th century and the early 20th century in Portugal.
This is the first time that these works are presented individually and together. They provide an insight into the romantic-inspired photographic aesthetic of the late 19th century and the transition to a pictorialist approach in the early 20th century.
The exhibition is the result of a partnership between the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) and the Porto Museum. It is the first of two presentations dedicated to the work of these amateur women photographers. The second will be presented at MNAC in Lisbon, from 25 September 2025 to 1 February 2026.
Margarida Relvas and Mariana Relvas were the daughter and second wife, respectively, of Carlos Relvas (1838-1894) - one of Portugal’s leading amateur photographers of the 19th century. Under his technical and aesthetic guidance, they took a group of photographs for which they have been confirmed as the legitimate authors, through study of the respective sources. This has made it possible to include them, finally and without reservation, in the broader panorama of other amateur and professional photographers, most of whom are unknown or ignored within the History of Photography.
Margarida Relvas' work is the result of her approach as a dilettante photographer, affirming herself as the "élève de son pére" (her father’s pupil). This can be understood within the nineteenth-century framework of a more progressive haute bourgeoisie mentality, which demanded that women should have access to other disciplines of technical knowledge, beyond the usual trilogy of drawing, speaking French and playing the piano. She preferred studio portraits, landscapes and still lifes, demonstrating technical expertise and a clearly Romantic-inspired gaze.
Mariana Relvas, on the other hand, is an unprecedented case of a photographic duo in 19th century Portugal, since she co-authored many studio portraits with her husband, Carlos Relvas. Her style as an autonomous author is more evident in her landscapes, although one of the most significant works of the couple's collaboration was the photobook, Hespanha França e Suissa (Spain, France and Switzerland), 1889).
Current research reveals that Maria da Conceição de Lemos Magalhães was the most prolific and consistent amateur women photographer of the early 20th century. With a vast body of work, she was part of the small circle of enthusiasts who wanted to create a movement of Pictorialist photographers, similar to other international initiatives. Her favourite subjects were landscapes, rural labour and the representation of women in natural environments. She explored all the aesthetic possibilities of nature, aware of artistic developments underway in international photography at the time.
This exhibition is the result of Susana Lourenço Marques’ research into the amateur women photographers Margarida Relvas, Mariana Relvas and Maria da Conceição de Lemos Magalhães, associated with the research project WomenPhotPT, that aims to map and disseminate knowledge about the activity of women photographers in Portugal.
Susana Lourenço Marques
Emília Tavares
