This present dissertation intends to analyze the concepts of history used by the founders of Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro, until the end of the 1840`s. This time choice refers to the period in which the same named members were most in charge of the Institute`s works, because at the end of the 1840`s many of these men had already died or were losing place for a new generation of members, who thought the doing of history in a diverse way. It intends to demonstrate that the founders of IHGB didn`t have a unique concept of history, operating with methods and notions either of the ancient and the modern concept. In order to comprehend why these men intended to found the Institute and how they intended to investigate and write the history, a research and an analysis of the biographies of the founders have been done, and also after an examination of the most frequent subjects of history that the members used to raise on their periodic meetings and that used to appear on their principal publication, the Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Brasil, that were very linked to the concern of creating the national identity.