he vital need for contact with nature, also advocating movement as the essence of life, inspired by the thought of the writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau

Consisting of founding works of contemporary Portuguese art historiography, from 1850 to the present day, the MNAC's collection holds several national treasures.

They provide an insight into the romantic-inspired photographic aesthetic of the late 19th century and the transition to a pictorialist approach in the early 20th century.