Henrique Morize and the eclipse of May 1919: the national observatory of Brazil, the solar corona, and pure science

The role of the French-Brazilian astronomer Henrique Morize in the organization of the Brazilian expedition to Sobral, Ceará, in northeastern Brazil, to observe the total solar eclipse of 29 May 1919, is discussed. Morize’s goal was to show that the National Observatory of Brazil was capable of performing scientific tasks, which it did not always have the opportunity to do because of inconstant Federal Government funding. Correspondence, articles, and statements by Morize and his colleagues, especially the report he wrote about the eclipse, are exploited to demonstrate the importance of this event to his career.