About the Collection

Teodoro Vidal: The Collector
The life and work of the cultural visionary.
Puerto Rican History
Art, artifacts, and archival documents illustrating the island’s history.
Everyday Life
Objects, photographs, and aspirations of working men and women on the island.
Religion
The art and traditions of the Catholic folk culture of Puerto Rico.
Carnival
The revelers, masks, and artisans who make the Carnaval de Ponce.
Music
The musical instruments and traditions of bomba, música jíbara, and plena.
The Great Puerto Rican Family
Portraits of Puerto Ricans during an era of dramatic economic and social change.

The Great Puerto Rican Family

The concept of the Great Puerto Rican Family describes how Puerto Rican people see themselves: heirs to a shared history. First used in the 1770s, the term helps convey the idea that the Puerto Rican people, no matter what their racial background, are part of a unique Puerto Rican culture born of a mixture of European, African, and Indian traditions.

Portrait of a 19th Century Doña

Portrait of Three Young Women

By the 1880s, Puerto Ricans had begun to migrate to the United States, seeking work in places as diverse as New York City and Hawaii. In the 1920s and 1930s, even more people left for better jobs and educational choices. After World War II, still more left for New York, the Midwest, and elsewhere. At present, some 3.8 million Puerto Ricans live on the island, and 3.2 million live throughout the rest of “the States.”

Celebration of a Baptism

Portrait of a Young Man

The photographs on display here, mostly from the turn of the 20th century, served a variety of purposes. Some were commissioned as personal portraits, others as postcards for American consumers curious about the people and culture of one of its newest colonies. Together they show Puerto Ricans from different social classes during an era of dramatic economic and social change.