The Thereza Christina Maria collection is composed of 21,742 photos assembled by Emperor Pedro II (1825-91) throughout his life and donated by him to the National Library of Brazil. The collection covers a wide variety of subjects. It documents the achievements of Brazil and Brazilians in the 19th century and also includes many photographs of Europe, Africa, and North America. The British-owned Minas and Rio Railway was a fairly minor link, running from Cruzeiro to Minas Gerais, but it was important in opening up the coffee-growing regions of southern Brazil and thereby contributing to the spread of coffee. After the overthrow of the monarchy in 1889, the railroad faced financial difficulties, and in 1901 was taken over by the federal government. The railroad was photographed in the early 1880s by Marc Ferrez (1843-1923), a Brazilian artist of French heritage who documented the development of Brazil as a nation.