Cigarette, deck and teaching and learning how to read in Brazil in the early 20th century

ABSTRACT

Under the concept of instructional material culture, the Baralho Alphabetico (“Alphabetic Deck”) for teaching reading skills, released in 1902 by the Veado cigarette industry from Rio de Janeiro and distributed in the Semilla de Havana and Santo Angelo packs, is analyzed in this article. The Veado factory was founded by the Portuguese José Francisco Corrêa in 1874, and became one of the most famous cigarette brands in Brazil. Within the cigarette packs of the Veado brand different artifacts were distributed as, for example, cards, stickers, photographs and, from 1902, the Baralho Alphabetico. Among the obtained conclusions is that the referred Baralho was an original and pioneer artifact in the context of the Brazilian industry. Besides, it is also concluded that it was a unique initiative as a manner of contributing to popular instruction.

Keywords:
Reading; Veado; Baralho Alphabetico; Brazil; 20th Century