Amália and Silva Nogueira: The construction of an image
Between 1920 and 1950, the photographic portraits by Silva Nogueira and Manuel Alves San Payo were famous among those who relied on a public image for their professional recognition. Whereas San Payo was preferred by high society members, politicians and intellectuals, Silva Nogueira´s world was the show business. His store was called Fotografia Brasil, and he used this commercial brand as a professional photographer in the “Exposição Nacional de Photographia” (“National Exhibition of Photography”) in November 1916, with thirteen photographs. All his works are classified as “first class” images. In March 1929 he features as well as Silva Nogueira in the list of exhibitors at the “Exposição-Concurso de Fotografias” (“Photography Exhibition Competition”) organized by the monthly magazine “Arte Fotográfica” (“Photographic Art”), and was awarded the first place in the section “Scenas da vida de trabalho” (“Scenes from working life”).
The first known photographic session with Amália dates back to 1942, when Silva Nogueira was already a famous photographer at the top of his career. Hopefully some of the notebooks where he registered the names of his clients according to its initials and the number of the box where the negatives were kept survived until the present day. They allow us to make a list of the most important names in music, theatre, cinema and show business in the Portuguese society of that period. All big names are there, such as Ercília Costa, the famous fado singer before Amália. Surprisingly, neither Amália Rebordão nor Amália Rodrigues are in the list.
In the first photographs we can guess the model’s inexperience, gazing at an imaginary sky, dressed up with an ordinary white blouse, a common skirt and a traditional shawl, very popular among women and fado singers from Lisbon because it helped them to place their hands while singing. Lightening was the one that was commonly used in feminine portraits, with a very smooth frontal light, the outline of the hair contrasting with light coloured background. These pictures are very different from the ones that would soon be the characteristic image of Amália Rodrigues, as fado’s most important icon. The whole-body image is the way in which fado singers were then depicted.
In the second session, in 1944, Amália is already wearing a dress and a black shawl. In 1946 (third session), in spite of the white scarf over the head or around the neck, referring to the role she was playing in the operetta “Mouraria”, we find the same black costume again. Her personality and melancholy are emphasized in the images taken in 1949. However, it is only in the sixth session, in 1950, that her pictures reach the plenitude and maturity of a brand, a reference for all fado singers, an icon for fado and for Portugal throughout the world.
Amália Rodrigues, with her shawl and long black dress, her “singing costumes”, became so familiar for more than half a century that she made us belief that all fado singers before her always dressed up like her. However, was this image created by Amália? The newspaper “Guitarra de Portugal” (“Portuguese Guitar”) tells us that in the 30’s purists like Linhares Barbosa were already claiming the replacement of the colourful Spanish “manton”, so fashionable at that time and a proof of success for its high price, by the Portuguese black shawl. It also mentions that several fado singers supported this idea. In fact, in 1942 Amália is already wearing a black shawl. What is unquestionable is that her “singing costume” was new in the 40’s and she even explained the reasons that made her choose black.
The photographs taken by Silva Nogueira in this twelve year period show us the transformation of a timid model into a superstar, full of personality and self confidence, courageous enough to cut her hair and shock the fans, able to look forward to the camera and challenge the viewers, facing us with both hands on her hips, ready to innovate in many aspects but never willing to give up her black costume, her brand, right until the end. Silva Nogueira, her favourite photographer for all those years, also learned to take advantage of Amália’s outstanding photogenic features, and his contribution was essential in building and stabilizing the artist’s public image.