Casa da Princesa Isabel, Imperial residence in Petrópolis, Brazil

Casa da Princesa Isabel is a two-storey neoclassical palace in Petrópolis with a coral-pink facade, white trim and a grey-blue base. Its front has two rows of five tall white-framed windows, three with curved tops, and a central white double door with a glass pane. A lower wing continues to the right. The pediment bears the monogram G.I., for Gastão and Isabel.

Built in 1853 for José Pedro da Mota Sayão, Baron of Pilar, the neoclassical house was rented to the Count of Eu in 1874 and bought by him in 1876. Princess Isabel's first two children were born there. In late 1888 the last photograph of the Imperial Family on Brazilian soil was taken on its front porch; Pedro II was in the house when he learned of the military movement that installed the Republic.

The pediment carries the monogram G.I., for Gastão and Isabel, the couple who bought the house in 1876. Today the building holds the headquarters of the Companhia Imobiliária de Petrópolis, owned by the Petrópolis branch of the Orléans and Bragança family, and the Antiquário da Princesa, which sells pieces from the monarchical period.

The house stands at Avenida Koeller 42, next to the Summer Imperial Palace that now holds the Imperial Museum, so the two can be visited on foot in one outing. The Companhia Imobiliária de Petrópolis occupies the building, and the Antiqüário da Princesa sells pieces from the monarchical period. Look for the G.I. monogram on the pediment and the camellias in the garden.

The gardens contain camellia flowers planted by the princess herself, which visitors can still see today. These flowers carry symbolic meaning related to her pivotal role in ending slavery in Brazil.