The creation of the beloved figure “Zé Povinho”, the iconic everyman created by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846–1905), is being celebrated today in Portugal for his 150th anniversary, marking a century‑and‑a‑half since his debut on 12 June 1875 in the satirical magazine A Lanterna Mágica.
Attention once again turns to the enduring legacy of his creator, one of the nation’s most influential popular culture artists, caricaturists, and ceramic innovators.
Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846–1905)
Born in Lisbon in 1846, Bordalo Pinheiro was a pioneering force in 19th-century Portuguese satire and the visual arts. A prolific illustrator, journalist, and social critic, he launched and contributed to several satirical periodicals, including A Lanterna Mágica and O António Maria, through which he challenged political corruption, social injustice, and monarchical privilege.
It was in A Lanterna Mágica on 12 June 1875 that Bordalo introduced Zé Povinho, the now-iconic caricature of the Portuguese everyman, mocking, resilient, and symbolic of the people’s discontent. Originally a figure of protest, Zé Povinho evolved into a national cultural symbol, reflecting Portugal’s social conscience through humor and irony.
Zé Povinho’s manguito
Symbol of national identity and satire, Zé Povinho lives on as a caricature of everyday Portuguese folks, resilient yet resigned, peaceful but quietly defiant. His signature gesture, the “manguito,” became symbolic of mockery toward injustice and has transcended Bordalo’s artist circles to infuse Portuguese political culture.
First crafted to lament unfair taxation under the monarchy, Zé later outlasted regimes, from the Republic to Estado Novo and into democratic Portugal, underscoring public dissatisfaction with privilege and corruption.
Zé Povinho illustration
Beyond satire, Bordalo Pinheiro revolutionized Portuguese ceramics. In 1884, he established the Fábrica de Faianças das Caldas da Rainha, producing imaginative and technically advanced works, including the now-famous cabbageware, grotesque animal figures, and vibrant majolica-style ceramics.
Today, Bordalo’s legacy lives on in the Museu Bordalo Pinheiro in Lisbon, which houses the largest collection of his drawings, ceramics, and original publications. His blending of popular art with refined technique laid the foundation for one of Portugal’s most enduring artisan traditions.
Special exhibitions and public events throughout 2025, including a new permanent display and a traveling retrospective, celebrate both the artist and his most famous creation, Zé Povinho, whose message remains as relevant as ever.
An exhibition begins in Caldas da Rainha on June 28, at the Cultural and Congress Centre, celebrating Bordalo Pinheiro’s connection with his hometown, while a new permanent exhibition at the Bordalo Pinheiro Museum in Lisbon opens on 21 July, dedicated fully to Zé Povinho and his iconic role as national symbol.
Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro died in Lisbon on 23 January 1905, but his vision, at once critical, humorous, and deeply Portuguese, continues to shape the nation’s artistic and political imagination. His work shaped Portuguese visual satire, much like Daumier in France or Hogarth in England.
Carolina Matos/Editor
