Documents from the World Voyages made by Emperor Don Pedro II of Brazil, 1870-1880
Related Documents
Inscribed on the Memory of the World International Register and on the Regional Register for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2013, this series of documents from the voyages of Emperor Don Pedro II (1840-1913) in Brazil and around the world are part of the Archive of the Imperial House of Brazil and include a diary, itineraries, correspondence, expense reports, periodicals, pamphlets, programs, drawings, invitations and sketches, a total of 2,210 documents.
Don Pedro II undertook several voyages during his 49-year reign, both around Brazil and in four continents, to get to know his territories and other cultures better. The documentation provides an overview of the 19th century and the entry into modernity: portraying thoughts, scientific discoveries, cultural diversity, and political passions, as well as the analysis of diplomatic relations between countries from different continents. The voyages offer a depiction of an era of profound transformations in Brazil and the rest of the world. The collection was created with documents and objects transferred from other public organisations that had ceased to exist (such as the Petrópolis Historical Museum). The fonds has been enriched with acquisitions, bequests and donations. Because of its museology, bibliographical and archival wealth, this is considered the most representative archive of the period of the monarchy in Brazil.
The Archive of the Imperial House of Brazil has among its objectives the mission of serving Brazilian society as a national center for the study of the imperial history of Brazil and the city of Petrópolis. In addition to conserving and safeguarding the collection, through various cultural and scientific programs, it organises exhibitions and activities to disseminate knowledge as a cultural and recreational option among all segments of the population.
Risks encountered
Environmental issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Moisture | Low |
Temperature | Low |
Light (visible light, ultraviolet radiation, etc.) | None |
Dust | None |
Pollution | None |
Pests (rodents, animals, insects, etc.) | None |
Microorganisms (bacteria, mould, etc.) | Low |
Management or organizational issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Lack of maintenance, including cleaning | None |
Inadequate building | Low |
Building with structural damage | None |
Lack of an adequate warehouse | Low |
Lack of boxes and/or archive materials | Low |
Lack of human resources | Moderate |
Lack of security measures | None |
Insufficient budget to operate | Low |
More specific conservation actions are needed with respect to the documentation, such as increasing and improving the storage, associated with the intensification of the material investigation. As a public institution, it would be necessary to increase the number of employees (civil servants).
Natural disaster risks
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Fires | None |
Rains | Low |
Mudslides or landslides | Low |
Floods | None |
Hurricanes, cyclones, storms | None |
Earthquakes | None |
Tsunamis | None |
Volcanic eruptions | None |
Temperature increase | None |
In 2022, the city of Petrópolis was affected by heavy rains, which compromised some spaces in the Imperial Museum complex, although not the historical archive building, where documents are held. Therefore, staying alert is necessary.
Political and/or social risks
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Armed conflicts | None |
Illegal trafficking of documents | None |
Thefts or robberies | None |
Vandalism | None |
Threatening socio-cultural environment | None |
Lack of support/public policies | None |
There are no political or social risks.
Environment (location) issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Material/storage units | Low |
Furniture | Low |
Room or warehouse | Low |
Building | Low |
Site or neighbourhood | Low |
Area or region, beyond the neighbourhood | Low |
Indicators
| Identified risks | |
|---|---|
Management Plan | Yes |
The Imperial Museum [Museu Imperial] follows the guidelines of the Brazilian Institute of Museums [Instituto Brasileiro de Museus], set out in the Museological Plan. | |
Response Protocol | Yes |
The Imperial Museum [Museu Imperial] has a civil fire brigade and rescuers. An internal protocol was developed and is included in the Museological Plan. | |
Documentary heritage digitization | Yes, partially |
Since 2009 the Imperial Museum [Museu Imperial] has been developing the project DAMI – Programa de Digitalização do Acervo do Museu Imperial [Digitalization of the Collection of the Imperial Museum], which has as main objects digitalizing and giving access to all the institution’s collection on its website. It is a long-term project that aims at the democratization of the access to cultural assets. | |
Documentary heritage availability on the internet | Yes, partially |
The majority of the documents are of paper and cloth, integral and well preserved, in spite of the acidity that affects great part of the documentation. The acidity can be seen principally in the newspapers, pamphlets, programmes, homages and invitations, for having been produced with low quality papers. cuttings from periodicals are glued on white paper. Some of the papers present, in very restricted areas, some loss, either by mechanical means like tears and cuts, with or without the fragment, or by infestation by xylophage insects. They present also some corrosion caused by the ferrogallic ink. There is widespread yellowing and stains, presumably occasioned by migration of acid elements, such as adhesives used in the past, graphite and fungus. some more compact and in a smaller scale stains are caused by bacteria. One of the risk factors, of climate nature, is the humidity that reaches 80%, due to the geographical location, the tropical climate, and the surrounding green area.