Knowing, exhibiting and visually apprehend the national territory: the monarchy of Isabella II (1833-1868), a Galería de costumbres de todas las provincias de España by Manuel Rodríguez de Guzmán (1818-1867) and other images of the nation in the Palace

Abstract

Throughout the 19th century, most countries were immersed in complex processes of nationalization. That is to say, the different powers tried to make the citizens naturalise and assume their belonging to a nation. And the monarchies were no strangers to this phenomenon; therefore, the kings and queens of the century tried to assume or lead the nationalizing project.

The different nationalizing agents made use of all kinds of mechanics, channels and media. Nevertheless, images played a fundamental role. And considering that, in its most elementary expression, the concept of nation refers to a specific population and customs, as well as to a specific territory, we believe that its visual representations are resolved as a privileged vantage point to understand the complex phenomenon of Spanish nationalization. Especially in the case of the monarchy of Isabella II (1833-1868).

Our work analyzes the way in which the monarchy understood and developed this nationalizing process from the visual representations of the nation's territory, as well as its population and customs. However, we will focus on the Galería de costumbres de todas las provincias de España that Isabella commissioned the costumbrista painter Manuel Rodríguez de Guzmán (1818-1867) in 1853, to be exhibited in the Royal Palace. A project that reflected the new territorial division by provincias approved in 1833. Likewise, both the analysis of the paintings made for the set and the explanatory texts that were created for it, allow us to study the different aspects that were emphasized at the time of visually representing the nation.