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"Museums are among the places that give us the highest idea of ​​man," said French writer André Malraux. At the Press Museum, planted in the gardens of the Imprensa Nacional, Malraux's thought is illuminated, as we see the dialogue between man and technology. This bipolar relationship dialogues to produce supports for printed information. As a result, the visitor sees not only the development of the graphic arts, but their reproduction devices - manual, electric, automatic, computerized - and, as a result, the evolution of the press and the memory of illustrious men who promoted it.



Due to the tradition of technological pioneering in the National Press, the Press Museum could not be anywhere else. On May 13, 2013, he turned 31, seducing students, teachers, journalists and tourists. It is not for less. The Press Museum is considered the eighth most important of its kind in the world. It receives eight thousand visits each year.



In its area of ​​680 square meters, there are about 600 rare pieces and documents. Some are unique. Several pieces have this character.



This is the case of the first cliché made in Brazil. In other words, it shows the importance for journalism. But the play goes further. It is, in fact, the first map produced in Brazil. It shows the plan of the then city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, which required four years for its production. It is a copper piece. Its execution began in 1808, by order of Prince Regent Dom João, shortly after his arrival in Brazil. For the job, he recruited the best engraver and designers of the time.



Another valuable piece is the Prelo Machado de Assis, of English origin and manufactured in 1833. It is a letterpress printing machine for newspaper production. A curiosity: it worked in the National Press until 1940.



The fame of this piece has reason to be. It was that she was the working tool of the famous writer Machado de Assis, who, simultaneously with his first steps in literature, was a servant of the National Press, between 1856 and 1858. He worked as an apprentice typographer at the printer. Its chief from 1857, was another great name of the Brazilian literature, the writer Manuel Antônio de Almeida, one of the precursors of the realism and the urban romance in Brazil.



Machado de Assis has been a patron of the National Press since January 13, 1997. He would return to work on the agency on April 8, 1867, as an advisor to the director of the “Diário Oficial”, which he held until January 6, 1874.

Rich and Varied Collection



In addition to the famous pieces, the Press Museum offers visitors the opportunity to see a torch (old printer, from the end of the 18th century), presses, coats of arms, flowers, furniture and documents. Among the documents, there is, for example, an original copy of the “Official Gazette” of May 14, 1888, which published Law No. 3,353, of May 13 of that year, declaring slavery extinct in Brazil.



Since July 4, 2001, the remains of Hipólito José da Costa, patron of the Brazilian press, have rested in the museum gardens. The journalist founded, in London, on June 1, 1808, the newspaper “Correio Braziliense” or “Armazém Literário”, which circulated until December 1822.



Annually, this museological institution promotes the Drawing, Writing, Poetry and Monography Museum Contest, which has now reached its fifteenth edition. It is a realization of the National Press that attracts students from all over the country.

Location



The Press Museum works in the Graphic Industry Sector, Quadra 6, Lote 800. Schedules for visits must be made by phone (061) 3441-9618. Visitors have a vehicle parking area.

Visitation



Visits are monitored by a historian and can be scheduled by calling (061) 3441-9618 / 9680, for working days, from 8 am to 6 pm.

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