This study is a historical approach to the National Museum of Colombia, in order to analyze the representations of the Nation and its inhabitants exhibited between 1880 and 1912. First, it refers to some of the features of the Museum, taking into account its development during the nineteenth century and the social and cultural function it fulfilled; it then studies how collections were established by examining their origin and type of object gathered at the time, discussing how objects were classified in relation to the segment population and the variation of this classification during this period. Finally, it exemplifies how specific segments of the population were represented.