Page 444 - The Secret Museum

He also fought for the abolition of slavery. This eventually came about towards

the end of his reign, when he was dangerously ill. He was being treated in Europe at
the time, but when he was told the news it seemed to bring him back to life: ‘Great
people! Great people!’ he said, and he began to recover, later returning to Brazil. His
daughter Isabel became the regent and was supposed to have become queen after his
death, but the end of slavery brought a shift to republicanism. Isabel had signed an
anti-slavery law, which her father’s rivals used as a way to get her, her father and

their family ousted from their country, and sent into exile in Paris.
Pedro II had to leave behind a lot of his paintings and treasures, many of which

adorn the walls of the museum; others are in storage. We went to the main storage
facility, which houses 20,000 objects – clothes, sculptures, paintings, toys, gold,
jewels – including several treasures relating to King Pedro II. I saw a sculpture of
the bearded man himself, a sculpture of Isabella’s lips, a large coin style medal with
his portrait and the words ‘Dorn Pedro II Imperador do Brazil’ upon it, and a clock
that belonged to him. Made by the official imperial clockmaker, it gives the time in

Rio, Paris and New York, and is made from ebony with dragons carved upon it.
When Pedro II left his beloved country, he dug a little Brazilian soil from the

ground, carried it in his bag and was buried with it when he died. His last words
were ‘May God grant me these last wishes – peace and prosperity for Brazil.’ What
a story to come out of a priceless leaf of goat eye stamps in storage.