Escravas de ganho e aluguel nos anúncios da imprensa Carioca (1850-1860)

Abstract

Slavery, along with large estates and agro-exportation, was one of the pillars on which the Brazilian economy and society was structured, from the 16th century until abolition at the end of the 19th century. During the more than three hundred years in which the main workforce was slaves, slave relations developed not only within the scope of large properties, but also in urban centers, where there were slaves who carried out earning activities1. In the streets, slaves, and in particular slave women, who will be the object of this investigation, were present with small business activities, offering services as seamstresses, laundresses, housemaids, wet nurses, among others. According to Marilene Rosa Nogueira da Silva in her work “O Negro na rua” the enslaved woman will occupy this space in a significant way” (SILVA, 1998, p. 20-21).