He obtained several awards as a student; notably the Great Gold Medal for historical painting (1850), coming in second to Victor Meirelles for a travel scholarship.
Apparently frustrated in his ambitions to become an artist, he moved to Porto Alegre, shortly before the outbreak of the Paraguayan War; working as an engraver and scenographer.
Four years later, he went back to Rio de Janeiro and established a studio near the Imperial Court; devoting himself to portraits.
Initially, he preferred to avoid publicity, but his portrait of the Visconde de Pelotas [pt] attracted so much praise at the Court that he suddenly found himself in great demand.
He occasionally worked teaching design at the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios [pt], the Escola Politécnica, his alma mater the Academia, and the Colégio Pedro II.