This photograph is from Vistas de Petrópolis (Views of Petrópolis), an album created in the 1860s by Pedro Hees (1841–80), one of Brazil’s most important early photographers. Petrópolis was founded by government decree on March 16, 1843, and named after Emperor Pedro II (1825–91, reigned 1831–89). The decree provided for the construction of the Imperial Palace and its dependencies and gardens, which formed the Quinta Imperial de Petrópolis (Imperial farm of Petrópolis). Called the Imperial City for its associations with the royal family, Petrópolis served as the summer residence of the Brazilian emperors and was the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro from 1894 to 1902. The album contains 15 views of the main sights in the city, including the palace, the Mother Church, the waterfall, city streets, and the New Cemetery. Hees operated a photography studio in Petrópolis, which his son Otto Hees (1870–1941) took over after his father’s premature death.