[1] The museum was created to preserve the historical and ethnographic heritage of Salvador de Bahia, over time, the museum focused on expanding its catalog of collections in the arts.

The museum contains pieces of decorative arts of Brazilian, Oriental and European origin.

[1] The museum includes works of art by brazilian artists José Teófilo de Jesus, José Joaquim da Rocha, Alberto Valença, Mendonça Filho and Presciliano Silva.

[6] The museum has a library with 12,000 books as well as plastic arts exhibits.

[9] In 2017, the museum organized an exhibition of Judite Pimentel's artwork.