National Museum of Brazil
Encyclopedia
The National Museum of Brazil is a centenarian museum
and research
institution, located in the Quinta da Boa Vista
park in the city of Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
.
Dom João VI (1769–1826) in 1818 with the name of Royal Museum, in an initiative to stimulate scientific research in Brazil, which until then was an immense and wild colony
, practically unexplored by science
. Initially the Museum sheltered botanical and animal
specimen
s, especially bird
s, what caused the old building where it was located in center of Rio de Janeiro, to be known by the population as the "House of the Birds".
After that, with the marriage of D. João VI's son and Brazil's first Emperor, Dom Pedro I (1798–1834) with Princess Leopoldina of Austria, the Museum started to attract the greatest Europe
an naturalist
s of the 19th century, such as Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782–1867), Johann Baptist von Spix
(1781–1826) and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
(1794–1868). Other European researchers who explored the country, such as Augustin Saint-Hilaire
(1799–1853) and the Baron von Langsdorff (1774–1891), contributed for the collections of the Royal Museum.
By the end the 19th century, reflecting the personal preferences of Emperor Dom Pedro II
(1825–1891), the National Museum started to invest in the areas of the anthropology
, paleontology
and archaeology
. The Emperor himself, who was an avid amateur scientist
and enthusiastic supporter of all branches of science, contributed with several of the collections of the art of Ancient Egypt
, botanical
fossil
s, etc., which he acquired during many of his trips abroad. In this way, the National Museum was modernized and became the most important museum of Natural History and Human Sciences of South America
.
D. Pedro II was well aware of the shortage of true scientists and naturalists in Brazil. He fixed this problem by inviting foreign scientists to come to work at the Museum. The first to come was Ludwig Riedel
(1761–1861), a German botanist who had participated in Baron von Langsdorff's famed expedition to Mato Grosso
from 1826 to 1828. Other scientists to come were: German chemist Theodor Peckolt
and American geologist and paleontologist Charles Frederick Hartt
(1840-1878). In the following years the Museum gradually became known so it continued to attract several foreign scientists who wished to achieve scientific stature with their work in Brazil, such as Fritz Müller
(1821–1897), Hermann von Ihering
(1850–1930), Carl August Wilhelm Schwacke
(1848–1894), Orville Adalbert Derby
(1851–1915), Émil August Goeldi (1859–1917), Louis Couty
(1854–1884) and others, all fired by museum director Ladislau Netto when the emperor was deposed.
The Emperor was still a very popular figure when he was deposed by a military coup in 1889, so the republicans tried to erase the symbols of the Empire. One of these symbols, the Paço de São Cristóvão
, the official residence of the emperors in the Quinta da Boa Vista
, became vacant; therefore, in 1892, the National Museum, with all its collections, valuables and researchers, was transferred to this palace, where it stays until today.
In 1946, the Museum’s management was passed to the University of Brazil, currently the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The researchers and their offices and laboratories occupy a good part of the Palace and other buildings erected at Botanical Gardens (Horto Florestal), in the Quinta da Boa Vista park. There, one can find one of the largest scientific libraries of Rio. Currently, the National Museum offers graduate courses in the following areas: Anthropology
and Sociology
, Botany
, Geology
and Paleontology
, and Zoology
.
s, aboriginal
collections of utensils, Egyptians mummies
and South American archaeological artifacts, meteorite
s, fossils and many other findings.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
institution, located in the Quinta da Boa Vista
Quinta da Boa Vista
The Quinta da Boa Vista is a public park of great historical importance in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The park was part of the gardens of the São Cristóvão Palace, the residence of the Emperors of Brazil in the 19th century....
park in the city of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
History
The National Museum was established by the King of PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Dom João VI (1769–1826) in 1818 with the name of Royal Museum, in an initiative to stimulate scientific research in Brazil, which until then was an immense and wild colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, practically unexplored by science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. Initially the Museum sheltered botanical and animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
specimen
Specimen
A specimen is a portion/quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study.BiologyA laboratory specimen is an individual animal, part of an animal, a plant, part of a plant, or a microorganism, used as a representative to study the properties of the whole population of that species or...
s, especially bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, what caused the old building where it was located in center of Rio de Janeiro, to be known by the population as the "House of the Birds".
After that, with the marriage of D. João VI's son and Brazil's first Emperor, Dom Pedro I (1798–1834) with Princess Leopoldina of Austria, the Museum started to attract the greatest Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
s of the 19th century, such as Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782–1867), Johann Baptist von Spix
Johann Baptist von Spix
Dr. Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix was a German naturalist.Spix was born in Höchstadt, Middle Franconia, as the seventh of eleven children. His boyhood home is the site of the Spix Museum , opened to the public in 2004...
(1781–1826) and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius was a German botanist and explorer.Martius was born at Erlangen, where he graduated M.D. in 1814, publishing as his thesis a critical catalogue of plants in the botanic garden of the university...
(1794–1868). Other European researchers who explored the country, such as Augustin Saint-Hilaire
Augustin Saint-Hilaire
Augustin François César Prouvençal de Saint-Hilaire , French botanist and traveler, was born at Orléans, France, on 4 October 1779. He began to publish memoirs on botanical subjects at an early age...
(1799–1853) and the Baron von Langsdorff (1774–1891), contributed for the collections of the Royal Museum.
By the end the 19th century, reflecting the personal preferences of Emperor Dom Pedro II
Pedro II of Brazil
Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
(1825–1891), the National Museum started to invest in the areas of the anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
and archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
. The Emperor himself, who was an avid amateur scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and enthusiastic supporter of all branches of science, contributed with several of the collections of the art of Ancient Egypt
Art of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian art is the painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts produced by the civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 5000 BC to 300 AD. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic...
, botanical
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s, etc., which he acquired during many of his trips abroad. In this way, the National Museum was modernized and became the most important museum of Natural History and Human Sciences of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
D. Pedro II was well aware of the shortage of true scientists and naturalists in Brazil. He fixed this problem by inviting foreign scientists to come to work at the Museum. The first to come was Ludwig Riedel
Ludwig Riedel
Ludwig Riedel was a German botanist.Riedel came to Brazil in 1811, invited to participate in the expedition organized by the German-Russian physician, naturalist, ethnographer and explorer Baron von Langsdorff...
(1761–1861), a German botanist who had participated in Baron von Langsdorff's famed expedition to Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
from 1826 to 1828. Other scientists to come were: German chemist Theodor Peckolt
Theodor Peckolt
Theodor Peckolt was a German-born naturalist, botanist, phytochemist and pharmacist who worked in Brazil from 1847 to 1912, analyzing the chemical and medicinal properties of Brazilian flora.-External links:...
and American geologist and paleontologist Charles Frederick Hartt
Charles Frederick Hartt
Charles Frederick Hartt was an Canadian-American geologist, paleontologist and naturalist who specialized in the geology of Brazil.-Exploration in Brazil:...
(1840-1878). In the following years the Museum gradually became known so it continued to attract several foreign scientists who wished to achieve scientific stature with their work in Brazil, such as Fritz Müller
Fritz Müller
Johann Friedrich Theodor Müller , better known as Fritz Müller, and also as Müller-Desterro, was a German biologist and physician who emigrated to southern Brazil, where he lived in and near the German community of Blumenau, Santa Catarina...
(1821–1897), Hermann von Ihering
Hermann von Ihering
Hermann von Ihering was a German-Brazilian zoologist. He was born at Kiel, Germany, and died at Gießen, Germany. He was the oldest son of Rudolf von Jhering.-Biography:...
(1850–1930), Carl August Wilhelm Schwacke
Carl August Wilhelm Schwacke
Carl August Wilhelm Schwacke was a German botanist, explorer and naturalist.Born at Alfeld, near Hannover, Germany, Schwacke studied Natural Sciences at the University of Göttingen and Bonn, specializing in botany after graduation.He emigrated to Brazil in 1873 and in March 1874 he was hired as a...
(1848–1894), Orville Adalbert Derby
Orville Adalbert Derby
Orville Adalbert Derby was an American geologist who worked in Brazil.-Education:Derby studied geology at the Cornell University, obtaining his degree in 1873...
(1851–1915), Émil August Goeldi (1859–1917), Louis Couty
Louis Couty
Louis Couty was a French physician and physiologist. He worked at the Laboratory of Experimental Physiology at the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, the first of its kind in Brazil...
(1854–1884) and others, all fired by museum director Ladislau Netto when the emperor was deposed.
Paço de São Cristóvão
Paço de São Cristóvão is a palace located in the Quinta da Boa Vista park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the former residence of the Emperors of Brazil...
, the official residence of the emperors in the Quinta da Boa Vista
Quinta da Boa Vista
The Quinta da Boa Vista is a public park of great historical importance in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The park was part of the gardens of the São Cristóvão Palace, the residence of the Emperors of Brazil in the 19th century....
, became vacant; therefore, in 1892, the National Museum, with all its collections, valuables and researchers, was transferred to this palace, where it stays until today.
In 1946, the Museum’s management was passed to the University of Brazil, currently the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The researchers and their offices and laboratories occupy a good part of the Palace and other buildings erected at Botanical Gardens (Horto Florestal), in the Quinta da Boa Vista park. There, one can find one of the largest scientific libraries of Rio. Currently, the National Museum offers graduate courses in the following areas: Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, Botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and Paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, and Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
.
Collections
The Museum shelters one of the largest exhibits of the Americas, consisting of animals, insects, mineralMineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
collections of utensils, Egyptians mummies
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
and South American archaeological artifacts, meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s, fossils and many other findings.
See also
- Paço de São CristóvãoPaço de São CristóvãoPaço de São Cristóvão is a palace located in the Quinta da Boa Vista park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the former residence of the Emperors of Brazil...
, the historic palace that houses the National Museum - National Historical Museum of BrazilNational Historical Museum of BrazilThe National Historical Museum of Brazil , was created in 1922, and possesses over 287,000 items, among of which the largest numismatic collection of Latin America. The architectonic complex that houses the museum was built in 1603 as the St James of Mercy Fort; the first structures date back from...
External links
- National Museum website
- The National Museum and its European employees Jens Andermann
- The National Museum at Rio de Janeiro Jens Andermann