the Arquivo Geral da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro (General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro) was established in 1567, and holds a vast collection of documents, photographs, prints, tapes, videos, books and periodicals, and can be consulted by any citizen. it is located at Rua Amoroso Lima, 15, Cidade Nova and can be contacted via phone on (21) 2273-3141. 

The Arquivo Nacional (National Archives) preserves more than 55 kilometers of textual documents, and 1.74 million photographs and negatives, 200 photo books, and 15,000 slides depicting important scenes, transformations, and everyday life in Brazil.

The audiovisual division of the archive first came to life in the 1860s, in conjunction with the expansion of photography. The photographic repertoire established by important Brazilian and foreign photographers, who worked in Brazil and abroad, are collected and disseminated in this culturally rich resource.