Jonathan Williams and Kisla Jiménez Collection of Cordel Woodblock Prints and Folhetos

The Jonathan Williams and Kisla Jiménez Collection of Cordel Woodblock Prints and Folhetos consists of illustrated popular poems published as pamphlets between the years of 1991 and 2010. The term "literatura de cordel" is Portuguese for “literature on a string,” and describes the selling of printed poems in pamphlet form (folhetos) that are pinned to strings in the open-air markets of Northeastern Brazil.

Each of the pamphlets are printed on fourfold pages of newspaper weight paper that are often sold uncut. They all have a woodblock engraving on the recto. The verso may include advertisements for local and international companies.

Organization and Arrangement: The topical content of each pamphlet varies considerably and here are arranged according to the arrangement proposed by UCLA Library Special Collections. Their arrangement breaks the contents down into four series titled Religious Stories, Pelejas, Love Stories and Profane Tales. This particular collection contains no Pelejas so there are only 3 sub-series. The item level description of the collection highlights the names of publishers, illustrators, and authors of each pamphlet.

Sub-series 1: Love Stories, includes items from 2004 and some undated material. Sub-series 2: Profane Tales, includes items from 1991 to 2010 and some undated material. Sub-series 3: Religious Stories, includes items from 1997 and some undated material. The collection was sorted into these three sub-series prior to processing. Each series is arranged alphabetically by author and each description transcribes the language exactly as printed. Item level descriptions include the following information as it appears on each physical pamphlet: Title: As it appears on cover page. Author: As it appears on cover page. Illustrator: Signature or initials as they appear on the cover or elsewhere. Publisher: Name of individual publisher or printing company. Place: Location of Publisher (sometimes the location of the Author). Date: As it appears on pamphlet.

The woodcut prints are arranged by size and then by artist name. Some are in color and come in various sizes. The smaller prints are housed separately from the larger ones. Artists José Francisco Borges, Abraão Batista, José Francisco Borges, José Miguel da Silva, and Marcelo Soares are represented. Two items are classified as oversized, one being housed in a map case and one that is framed and displayed in a work office.

There are also two examples of Mexican Pastorela pamphlets included in this collection authored by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo and illustrated by José Guadalupe Posada.