Carlota Ferreira (born Petrona Mercedes Ferreyro García; 31 January 1838 – ) was an

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

an woman who led a turbulent life of scandal and romance. She was immortalized by

Juan Manuel Blanes Juan Manuel Blanes (June 8, 1830 – April 15, 1901) was a Uruguayan painter of the Realism (art), Realist school. Life and work Blanes was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1830. He was raised by his mother, with whom he relocated to the countrys ...

's 1883 portrait of her likeness, which became an icon of Uruguayan art.

Biography

Little is known of the life of Carlota Ferreira. However, recent research has found documents that suggest that she was the daughter of Mercedes Ferreyro García and was baptized as Petrona Mercedes Ferreyro García on 9 December 1840 in Church of Our Lady of the Mount Carmel. In 1872, she was widowed by her husband and father of their three children, Dr. Emeterio Celedonio Regunaga, the Uruguayan

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

23 years her senior, during the government of

Lorenzo Batlle y Grau Lorenzo Cristóbal Manuel Batlle y Grau (10 August 1810 in Montevideo – 8 May 1887 in Montevideo) was the president of Uruguay from 1868 to 1872. Family background and early career He was the son of a wealthy merchant loyal to the Spanis ...

. In 1881, she remarried to Ezequiel de Viana Oribe in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, but was once again widowed. The family of her second husband, descended from

José Joaquín de Viana José Joaquín de Viana (1718–1773) was a Spanish military and political figure, Governor of Montevideo between 1751 and 1764 and 1771 and 1773. Biography Of Navarrese origin, Viana started his military career in 1735 and fought in Italy durin ...

, were embarrassed over the short-lived marriage. It was 1883 when Ferreira visited the studio of

as the widow of Dr. Regunaga to request a portrait of her deceased husband, armed with photographs for reference.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferreira, Carlota 1838 births 1910s deaths People from Montevideo