According to historian Eli Behar, Teresa Cristina became notable "for her discretion, which kept her far from being associated with any political movement; and for her tenderness and charity, which earned her the cognomen 'Mother of the Brazilians'." A similar opinion is voiced by Historian Benedito Antunes, who said that she "was beloved by Brazilians, who defined her, for her discretion, as the 'silent empress', and yet regarded her as 'the mother of the Brazilians'." He also praised the Empress for her sponsorship of cultural and scientific development: she "promoted culture in various ways, bringing from Italy artists, intellectuals, scientists, botanists, musicians, thus contributing to the progress and enrichment of the nation's cultural life." This view is shared by historian Eugenia Zerbini, who argued that, thanks to her, Brazil now has the largest classical archaeological collection in Latin America.