SÃO PAULO, 1947. Amazing!

Trantor · #1 Posted **Dec 1, 2008, 5:32 PM**

original thread posted at SSC Brazil, by BR364

SÃO PAULO, 1947[/B]

photos taken from archieves of LIFE magazine (http://images.google.com/hosted/life).

Photographer: Dmitri Kessel (Life Magazine)

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BONUS TRACKS:

1939 (8 years before)

60. Photo from John Phillips

1957 (10 years later)

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Tom In Chicago · #2 Posted **Dec 1, 2008, 5:49 PM**

Cool photos. . .

Jibba · #3 Posted **Dec 1, 2008, 8:12 PM**

Fascinating. It appears (from these pictures anyway) that the bulk of Sao Paulo's building stock was more centralized back then. Amazing how many high-rises were there 60 years ago and how many have been built since then.

SLO · #4 Posted **Dec 1, 2008, 11:00 PM**

Outstanding, nice find Trantor.

R@ptor · #5 Posted **Dec 2, 2008, 3:29 AM**

Great photos.

Looking at them you really have to ask yourself where it went all wrong for Brazil. In 1947 they where among the world's richest countries with a bright future. 60 years later it's a crime-ridden 3rd world country (ok quite developed in some parts) where a significant part of the population lives in favelas.

ColDayMan · #6 Posted **Dec 2, 2008, 3:39 AM**

Beautiful!

Trantor · #7 Posted **Dec 2, 2008, 4:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by R@ptor

Great photos.

Looking at them you really have to ask yourself where it went all wrong for Brazil. In 1947 they where among the world's richest countries with a bright future. 60 years later it's a crime-ridden 3rd world country (ok quite developed in some parts) where a significant part of the population lives in favelas.

actually, we have underground mansions of gold under each slum house, and we have robots and nuclear fusion and antigravity. Its just that we dont want the rest of the undeveloped world to stay around gawking at our mighty, so we pretend we are poor.

I can still select pics from many brazilian cities which will give you no hint of any poverty. How do you know there was no poverty in São Paulo just by looking at these photos?

Chelsea Spy · #8 Posted **Dec 2, 2008, 1:21 PM**

wonderful!!!

shane453 · #9 Posted **Dec 2, 2008, 11:37 PM**

I like #29! I wonder what the same view looks like today.

Trantor · #10 Posted **Dec 3, 2008, 12:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shane453

I like #29! I wonder what the same view looks like today.

I am trying to find pictures from nearby places, on GoogleEarth

by Chico Saragiotto

by LuiziaCruzFrata

ok, I think this one is the one that closely resembles that old picture.
You must remember on the other hand that São Paulo´s old downtown was already saturated in the 80s, so instead of building more in old downtown, the city grew to other areas, like Av. Paulista, Berrini, Nações Unidas, etc.

by Luan Victor

urbanlife · #11 Posted **Dec 3, 2008, 6:31 AM**

such an amazing city. Hell, I will say it, the Brazilian women looked hot even in 1947. What the hell is in your water???

Great find on pics, it is a city I dont know much about, but looks like it could give any American city, during that time, a run for its money.

krudmonk · #12 Posted **Dec 3, 2008, 7:02 AM**

This thread is simply great.

Trantor · #13 Posted **Dec 3, 2008, 2:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbanlife

such an amazing city. Hell, I will say it, the Brazilian women looked hot even in 1947. What the hell is in your water???

Great find on pics, it is a city I dont know much about, but looks like it could give any American city, during that time, a run for its money.

well, in number of buildings, it still can!

notice that the photo below shows one "side" of the city. The old downtown area (the pics from 1947) is not even seen on these photos!

photo by Gutooo (SSC, and if I am not mistaken, the thread with this photo was already posted by him here at SSP)

check this thread (correct page already linked)
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...251315&page=15

Ex-Ithacan · #14 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 11:55 AM**

Bravo. Love the pics. So many great shots. This one really caught my eye:

Thanks Trantor. btw, do you know what the population of the city was back then?

HomeInMyShoes · #15 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 12:04 PM**

Fabulous find Trantor.

Trantor · #16 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 12:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

Thanks Trantor. btw, do you know what the population of the city was back then?

about 2.2 million people. By the middle 1950s, it was already 3.5 million.

Ex-Ithacan · #17 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 1:52 PM**

Thanks for the info Trantor.

Trantor · #18 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 2:19 PM**

you are welcome. But its worth mentioning that this is the MUNICIPALITY population. The municipality of São Paulo, today, has 11 million people. The urban area of the metro area of São Paulo, today, has 19-20 million people.

the urban area of "São Paulo" does not occupies the whole municipality of São Paulo area, but its spreads beyond its borders (north, east and west) into other municipalities. Some smaller, neighboring municipalities, are entirely occupied by the urbanization of São Paulo metro.

ethereal_reality · #19 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 6:26 PM**

Stunning thread...thanks for posting Trantor.
So much detail...it took most of my afternoon
to study the photographs.

I was enchanted.

shane453 · #20 Posted **Dec 4, 2008, 7:22 PM**

Everyone check the LIFE archives which have just been put on Google for old pictures of your city- maybe there are more cities with as detailed of a collection from LIFE as São Paulo.

Thanks for finding the other pictures Trantor, I really like how the city rises from the terrain!