The Carmen Miranda Museum, located in Rio de Janeiro, was officially created in 1956. However, its inauguration only took place 20 years later, on August 5, 1976. The creation of the museum was a response to the thousands of admirers of Carmen Miranda, especially foreigners, who wanted a space to preserve the memory of the “Little Notable,” one of the legends of Brazilian Popular Music. The collection consists primarily of the artist’s belongings, donated by her family after her death in 1955, mainly by her sister Aurora Miranda and her widower David Alfred Sebastian.
There are 3,348 items, including 1,391 photographs, 461 pieces of clothing, including 220 pieces of jewelry, 11 complete costumes from shows and films, 8 belts, 5 bags, 27 pairs of shoes, and 38 turbans. In addition to the famous jewelry, the skirt worn in her debut show on Broadway stands out; the turban she wore when she got married, and several complete costumes, such as the one she wore on the day she was honored on the Walk of Fame and the one from her last show, the day before her death.
The museum also houses an impressive bibliographic and iconographic documentation: original caricatures, film scripts with notes made by Carmen, photographs, posters, trophies, sheet music, programs, and acknowledgments. In addition to five thousand clippings from newspapers and magazines that report on the historical events of the “Ambassador of Samba.”
This space belongs to FUNARJ – Fundação Anita Mantuano de Artes do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.
The museum was closed to visitors in 2013 and reopened 10 years later, in August 2023.
Who was Carmen Miranda
Singer and actress, Carmen Miranda was born on February 9, 1909, in Marco de Canaveses, Portugal. At 10 months old, she arrived in Rio de Janeiro with her parents and her sister Olinda to live in São Cristóvão.
She finished high school at Colégio Santa Teresa and soon after began working in various hat shops.
In 1928, the Bahian journalist Aníbal Duarte d’Oliveira heard her sing and, impressed by her talent, introduced her to guitarist Josué de Barros, who played an important role in her career.
Carmen performed for the first time at a festival in January 1929, singing two tangos, a ‘toada,’ and ‘samba-canção.’ She began singing on the radio and recorded “Triste Jandaia” and “Dona Balbina” for RCA Victor.
She became well-known with the song “Tá hi,” by Joubert Gontijo de Carvalho, which earned her the titles of “Queen of the Record” and “The Greatest Brazilian Popular Singer.”
She signed contracts with the Mayrink Veiga and Tupi radios and the RCA Victor and Odeon Records labels. She sang in the casinos of Copacabana, Atlântico, and Urca.
In 1939, American businessman Lee Schubert hired her and took her to New York with the “Bando da Lua,” formed by Oswaldo Éboli – Vadeco (tambourine); Aloysio de Oliveira (guitar and vocal soloist); Hélio Jordão Pereira (guitar); Ivo Astolphi (banjo and 
tenor guitar) and the brothers from Ceará, Afonso (rhythm and flute), Stenio (cavaquinho), and Armando Ozório (guitar).
She made her Broadway debut with the show “Streets of Paris,” thus beginning her journey of engagements in the United States, which kept her away from Brazil for several years. However, the singer dedicated herself to promoting Brazilian music and culture, becoming a true ambassador of “Brazilian Popular Music.”
As an actress, she participated in films such as “Alô, Alô, Carnaval,” “Serenata Tropical,” “Uma Noite no Rio,” “Minha Secretária Brasileira,” “Morrendo de Medo,” among others. Carmen Miranda was the only South American to leave her mark on the Walk of Fame, a privilege granted to the great stars of Hollywood.
She passed away on August 5, 1955, after suffering a heart attack at her home in Beverly Hills, California. A week later, her body arrived in Rio, taken to the São João Batista cemetery by one of the largest processions in history. Thousands of emotional people sang her hits.
Source: FUNARJ