Visual culture and social imaginary in the weekly magazine ‘El Perú Ilustrado’: ‘Ellas’, the captives, and ‘ellos’, the heroes

Abstract

El Perú Ilustrado, published in Lima between 1887 and 1892, positioned itself as a unifying national force, aiming to foster feelings of belonging and identity during the post-war period. A recurring theme in its pages was the aftermath of the conflict, depicted through images of captive cities and the glorification of fallen heroes on the battlefield. The research seeks to reveal an implicit gender discourse in the weekly magazine, where the cities are portrayed as maidens in the hands of the enemy, while the heroes take on a masculine role; despite their strength and sacrifice, they let the cities go—in other words, they lost them.