Depicted in the photograph are Francisco and Maria Silva, both of whom emigrated from the Cape Verde Islands, together with their daughter Julia who was born in Cape Cod in 1905. Francisco arrived from São Nicolau in the late 1800s. Maria, who probably came later, was from the island of Brava. They first lived in southeastern Massachusetts, later settling in North Providence, Rhode Island. Francisco Silva died in 1944, Maria Silva died in 1962, and Julia died in 1987.
The collection contains a crayon enlargement, or crayon portrait, of the Silva family. Francisco Silva sits in a living chair, with his wife, Maria Silva, and daughter, Julia Silva, standing to his left. Francisco wears a black suit and white shirt, Maria wears a white shirt and black dress coat, and their daughter, Julia, wears a white dress.
Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
The collection is open for research.
Portrait of Francisco, Maria, and Julia Silva, MSS-0147, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
The collection consists of only one item.
The collection was donated to Adams Library Special Collections in 1995 by Daniel and Ester Lima. Esther was the daughter of Julia Silva, who is depicted in the portrait.
The portrait was brought to the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) for conservation treatment in 2001. The portrait surface was cleaned of grime and mold and backed with a Japanese paper for added strength. The collection was described in 2024 by Hydin Stallman, Special Collections student worker, under the supervision of Veronica L. Denison, Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian.
Rhode Island College Special Collections holds further collections relating to Cape Verde. Please review the
This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections.