this loss of what was considered to be one of the most important libraries in the world during this era, led the royal family to move the majority of the contents of the library to their colony in brazil. the move was made in three stages, with the last in 1811, with around 7,000 items.

from then on the library continued to grow in size, as a result of various donations over the years, as well as a 1907 decree that required all publishers to send one copy of each publication to the library. the library's massive resources include various curious and fascinating items, among them a photo collection that depicts 19th century brazil.