The construction of the castle at Manguinhos in the photographic archive of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz

Abstract Based on over 12,000 glass plate negatives and paper prints of photographs kept in the historical archives of Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, this study seeks to understand how photographs construct an imaginary world and offer it as reality. The relationships between photographic culture and institutional life are discussed, focusing on the construction of the Moorish Castle, especially as recorded in images from two dossiers: “Old Facilities” (“Antigas Instalações”) and “Architecture. Moorish Pavilion (“Arquitetura. Pavilhão Mourisco”). Elements that contribute to the production of this imaginary world constructed on the basis of beliefs in photography and in the authority of archives are discussed.