From Furniture to Automobile: Transiting History, National History Museum of Brazil

On a tour of the exhibition “From Furniture to Automobile: Transiting History”, on the long circuit of the National Historical Museum, you can learn about the changes and the improvement of the main vehicles used throughout history. There are 29 pieces available in all, including land transport, human and animal traction. from marbles and carriages to one of the first cars to circulate in the first decade of the 20th century.

The only long-term exhibition that remains on the ground floor, due to the large proportions, gathers 29 pieces, including street chairs, marbles, trachitans and a car from the early 20th century, the Protos, which belonged to the Baron of Rio Branco.

The collection is one of the most important of its kind in Brazil. They are strollers, marbles and trachitans (four-wheeled carriages with only one seat). Among the highlights of the exhibition are the vehicles of the Portuguese Royal House and the Brazilian Royal Family (photo), in addition to Protos, an automobile from the early 20th century that belonged to the Baron of Rio Branco.

This collection, which had a great expansion between 1946 and 1948, when eleven vehicles were incorporated into it, is formed by “private” vehicles, used in the transportation of people, mainly in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In 1925, one of the first automobiles to circulate in the first decade of the twentieth century became part of the Museum’s collection, also in the then capital of the Republic.

Due to the characteristics of the vehicles, collective or cargo transportation was not addressed in this exhibition, with a focus on Rio de Janeiro, where the use of chairs, marbles and carriages was widely disseminated since the arrival of the Portuguese court in 1808..

National History Museum of Brazil
The National Historical Museum of Brazil was created in 1922, and possesses over 287,000 items, including the largest numismatic collection of Latin America. 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).

The formation of the collection of the National Historical Museum began with the transfer of items from other institutions that already existed at the time of its foundation. Several items and pieces came from the National Archives museum and from the National Library’s numismatics office. The Casa da Moeda, the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy also contributed to the initial formation of the collection.

Currently, the National Historical Museum occupies the entire architectural complex of Ponta do Calabouço and became the most important museum of history in the country, bringing together a collection of 258,000 items, including objects, documents and books, and being an institution of production and dissemination of knowledge.

National Historical Museum maintains long-term and temporary exhibition galleries in a 9,000 m² area open to the public, as well as a library specialized in Brazil History, Art History, Museology and Fashion, and the Historical Archive with important manuscript documents, watercolors, illustrations and photographs, including Juan Gutierrez, Augusto Malta and Marc Ferrez.

It also maintains programs to students, teachers, senior citizens and poor communities. Its storage rooms, conservation and restoration laboratories and numismatics (collection of coins and other printed figures) can be consulted by prior appointment. Picturesque inner courtyards and a friendly cafeteria offer pleasant options for relaxing moments.