National Historical Museum (Brazil)
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The National Historical Museum ( pt, Museu Histórico Nacional) of Brazil was created in 1922, and possesses over 287,000 items, including the largest
numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
collection of
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
. The architectural complex that houses the museum was built in 1603 as the St. James of Mercy Fort; earlier structures date back to 1567, erected by order of King Sebastian I of Portugal. In 1693, the Calaboose Prison, for slaves, was built. In 1762, the Casa do Trem was added as a depot of weapons and ammunition. The last additions are the War Arsenal (1764) and the Barracks (1835).


History

Created in August 1922, by decree of President
Epitácio Pessoa Epitácio Lindolfo da Silva Pessoa (; 23 May 1865 – 13 February 1942) was a Brazilian politician and jurist who served as 11th president of Brazil between 1919 and 1922, when Rodrigues Alves was unable to take office due to illness, after bein ...
the National Historical Museum starts its activities in October, integrating the
Centennial Exhibition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...
, in two special rooms of the Casa do Trem (Ammunition Depot). During 75 years of continuous activities, the Museum assembled the largest collection under the auspices of the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...
and has become an important center of culture, occupying gradually all the architectural complex of the Calaboose Point, where the Santiago Fort was once situated. As the first Brazilian museum to run an official
museology Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Terminology The w ...
course, it served as a starting point for the formation of other important local museums, thus becoming internationally known in the 1940s. Today, the museum complex occupies an area of 20,000 m2. It holds over 287,000 items, displayed in more than 25 permanent and non-permanent exhibits. The museum library alone has over 57,000 titles, many dating back as far as the 15th century, and 50,000 documents and photographs.


Collection

The formation of the collection of the National Historical Museum departed from items of other institutions already existing at the time of its foundation. Various elements and pieces from the
Brazilian National Archives The National Archives of Brazil ( pt, Arquivo Nacional, AN) were created in 1838 as the Imperial Public Archives. The Archives were renamed in 1911, and are located in Rio de Janeiro. The National Archives of Brazil is the Brazilian institution r ...
and the
Numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
Office of the
National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, o ...
. He also collaborated in the acquisition of Casa da Moeda, the National Museum of Fine Arts, the
Ministry of the Army The , also known as the Ministry of War, was the Cabinet (government), cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). It existed from 1872 to 1945. History The Army Min ...
and the Ministry of the Navy. The collection of private collectors, such as the Bahian senator Miguel Calmon de Pin e Almeida, the Guinle family and the museologist Sophia Jobin helped to compose the property of the museum in its initial period. Another important collection, acquired in the early years of the museum, is the ivory religious sculptures of businessman and collector Souza Lima, purchased by President
Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...
in a certain modality promoted by the
Caixa Econômica Federal Caixa Econômica Federal (, ''Federal Savings Bank''), also referred to as Caixa, is a state-owned Brazilian financial services company headquartered in Brasília, Brazil. It is the fourth largest banking institution in Brazil, as well as the ...
in 1940.


Digital Collection

The
digital collection A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, repla ...
of the National Historical Museum (MHN) is an online repository open to the public that provides exhibits and technical reserves of the institution. The installation initially has 500 works from the collection of
painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
s, and in the coming months will be added new items from other areas of the museum collection. The collection was curated by the MHN team. In this first phase, three new collections were published: "Marinhas - De Martino", "Portraits of the Empire" and "
Carioca Carioca ( or ) is a demonym used to refer to anything related to the City of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The original meaning of the term is controversial, maybe from Tupi language "''kari' oka''", meaning "white house" as the whitewashed stone ...
Landscapes". The collection is available at this link: http://mhn.acervos.museus.gov.br/


Artifact center

Image:MHN07.jpg, The Imperial throne of
Pedro II of Brazil Don (honorific), Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimity, Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the List of monarchs of Brazil, second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. ...
. Image:MHN01.jpg, Temporary exhibit featuring indigenous vases. Image:MHN02.jpg, One of the museums most important pieces: "The
Battle of Riachuelo The Battle of Riachuelo was a large and decisive naval battle of the Paraguayan War between Paraguay and the Empire of Brazil. By late 1864, Paraguay had scored a series of victories in the war, but on 11 June 1865, its naval defeat by the Brazi ...
", 1882. Image:MHN04.jpg, The Royal throne of
King John VI of Portugal , house = Braganza , father = Peter III of Portugal , mother = Maria I of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal , death_date = , death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal ...
. Image:MHN03.jpg, Permanent exhibit featuring carriages of the imperial era. Image:MHN10.jpg, Interior of the museum.


See also

*
Cultural Complex of the Republic The Complexo Cultural da República (Portuguese for "Cultural Complex of the Republic") is a cultural center located along the Eixo Monumental, in the city of Brasília, Brazil. It is formed by the National Library of Brasília and the National ...
: National Library, National Museum of the Republic (Brasilia) *
National Library of Brazil The Biblioteca Nacional do Brasil (English: ''National Library of Brazil'') is the depository of the bibliographic and documentary heritage of Brazil. It is located in Rio de Janeiro, the capital city of Brazil from 1822 to 1960, more specificall ...
(Rio de Janeiro) *
National Museum of Brazil The National Museum of Brazil ( pt, Museu Nacional) is the oldest scientific institution of Brazil. It is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where it is installed in the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher's Palace), which is in ...
(Rio de Janeiro)
MHN Digital Collection


External links


Museu Histórico Nacional
{{authority control Museums established in 1922 History museums in Brazil National museums of Brazil Museums in Rio de Janeiro (city) 1922 establishments in Brazil