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 Igreja Matriz (Mother Church) of Petrópolis was located on Imperatriz Street, now known as Sete de Setembro Street. The church was demolished in 1924, but one of its interior panels is conserved in the Imperial Museum. This photograph is one of a series taken in the late 1860s by Pedro Hees, considered by many to be the father of Brazilian photography, showing the important sites of Petrópolis, a popular summer holiday spot for Brazil’s wealthy, located in the hills outside Rio de Janeiro.