Date of use : 1949 Mozambique

Cine-Foto Mozambique Photographic Trade Cover

This document is an airmail envelope sent from Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa (present-day Maputo, Mozambique) to New York, United States. The postal cancellation indicates the date 30 September 1949. The sender is identified on the printed letterhead as Cine Foto Limitada, a company whose contact details include a telephone number, a post office box, and a telegraphic address. The recipient is Messrs Mogulls, located on East 48th Street in Manhattan, New York. The red and blue striped border of the envelope is characteristic of international airmail stationery used during the mid-twentieth century.

Two postage stamps from the Portuguese colony of Mozambique appear on the reverse side of the envelope. One stamp depicts agricultural activity related to palm production in the Zambezia region, while the other shows a landscape along the Pungue River. Such imagery was typical of colonial stamp design, often representing economic activities and geographic features associated with the territory.

The sender, Cine Foto Limitada, was most likely a commercial company operating in the fields of photographic and motion picture equipment. Lourenço Marques, the colonial name of modern-day Maputo, functioned during the mid-twentieth century as the principal port and commercial center of Portuguese East Africa. Because of its maritime connections with Europe, South Africa, and the Americas, the city became an important hub within international trade networks.

The name of the company clearly indicates a specialization in cinematographic and photographic technologies. Businesses of this type typically sold cameras, photographic film, printing paper, and projection equipment. Many also provided film development and photographic printing services for both amateur and professional photographers. During the 1940s the global spread of photographic technology created increasing demand for such products, particularly in port cities that served as distribution centers for imported goods.

The presence of a telegraphic address and telephone number on the envelope suggests that the company maintained active commercial communications beyond the local market. Telegraph addresses were commonly used by businesses engaged in international trade, especially those involved in import and distribution activities.

The recipient firm, Mogulls, operated in New York City, with an address on East 48th Street in Manhattan. This district was known during the mid-twentieth century as a commercial area hosting numerous import, export, and distribution companies. It is therefore likely that Mogulls was engaged in some form of international trade or distribution activity.

This envelope illustrates a small but meaningful example of the international commercial networks that developed after the Second World War. By the late 1940s photographic technology was rapidly expanding across global markets. Cameras and film materials were primarily manufactured in industrial centers in Europe, the United States, and Japan, while distribution to other regions relied on networks of importers and local commercial agents.

Port cities such as Lourenço Marques functioned as important nodes within this network. Located in southeastern Africa, the city maintained economic connections with both Portuguese colonial territories and neighboring South Africa. Companies like Cine Foto Limitada likely acted as intermediaries supplying photographic equipment to regional markets.

The postal marking includes the phrase "Correio Aéreo," indicating that the letter was transmitted through the airmail system. By the late 1940s international airmail had become an essential element of global communication, significantly reducing delivery times between continents. The use of this service reflects the increasing speed and efficiency of international commercial correspondence during the postwar period.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
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