The Carmen Miranda Museum, 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 “Pequena Notável”, one of the myths of Brazilian Popular Music. The collection is made up, above all, 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 jewelry, 11 complete costumes from shows and films, 8 belts, 5 bags, 27 pairs of shoes and 38 turbans. In addition to the famous baubles, the skirt worn in her debut show on (Broadway) stands out; the turban with which she got married and some complete outfits, like the one she wore on the day she was honored on the Walk of Fame and the one for her last show, the day before she died.
The museum also holds an impressive bibliographic and iconographic documentation: original caricatures, film scripts with notes made by Carmen, photographs, posters, trophies, scores, programs and acknowledgments. In addition to five thousand newspaper and magazine clippings that report 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 Carmem 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 started working in several hat shops.
In 1928, the Bahian journalist, Aníbal Duarte d’Oliveira, heard her sing and, impressed by her talent, introduced her to the 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 started singing on the radio and recorded “Triste Jandaia” and “Dona Balbina” on the RCA Victor record label.
She became very known nwith the song “Tá hi”, by Joubert Gontijo de Carvalho, which gave her the titles of “Queen of Disco” and “The Greatest Brazilian Popular Singer”.
She signed contracts with Mayrink Veiga radio, Tupi and the record labels RCA Victor and Odeon Records. She sang in the casinos of Copacabana, Atlântico and Urca.
In 1939, North American businessman Lee Schubert hired her and took her to New York, with “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 debuted on Broadway with the show, “Streets of Paris”, thus beginning her journey of commitments in the United States, which took 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 given to big Hollywood stars.
She died 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 people excitedly sang her hits.
Source: FUNARJ