This was the home of Benjamin Constant "Founder of the Brazilian Republic." He was also known as a military man, an engineer, and teacher. The Brazilian federal institution in charge of the preservation of national monuments has preserved Benjamin's house, furniture, belongings which can be viewed in this museum.
As we walked up, we saw 2 people (1 guard and 1 museum employee) and a sign that stated admission was R$2 and free on Sundays (in English). Naturally, we took out some reais and offered it to the museum employee. We think she said to us that the cashier was not there and to keep our money. Photography was not allowed inside. There were no other visitors at the time that we went, and if the guest book was an indication, we were the first visitors of the day (at 1:30 in the afternoon). She then led us through the home. The house and furniture reminded me of The Hermitage in Nashville, TN. She understood some English but only spoke Portuguese to us. I know this because I commented that Mrs. Constant must have been very short (based on the way the furniture was constructed), and she got very animated (speaking in Portuguese) and pointed out a few other furniture pieces for extremely short people including a sewing machine that was almost on the ground. There was also a nicely shaded walking trail to explore the green area around the house.
This is a link to a PDF scan of the brochure that is in English and Portuguese.
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