Date of use : 1928 Portugal

1928 Portugal to Paris: Photo Presto Wholesale Photo Equipment Envelope

On February 2, 1928, a letter was sent from a business owned by Manuel Contente Pinto in Coimbra, Portugal, to the Photo Presto company located in Paris, France. Although we do not have much information about Photo Presto, advertisements in newspapers and magazines from the period indicate that the company was engaged in the wholesale and retail sales of photography, cinema, and phonograph equipment.

Record Information

Title: 1928 Portugal to Paris: Photo Presto Wholesale Photo Equipment Envelope

Category: Photographic Trade History / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: International Trade / Wholesale Distribution

Country: Portugal (Origin) / France (Destination)

City: Coimbra → Paris

Date of use: 2 February 1928

Sender: Manuel Contente Pinto, Opticina de Tanoaria a Electricidade, Rua da Moeda, Coimbra, Portugal (Telephone N-055)

Recipient: Photo Presto, Rue Vivienne 33, Paris, France (Bourse 2.e)

Object Type: Commercial postal cover / business correspondence

Business Scope: Photography, cinema, phonograph equipment (wholesale and retail)

Language: Portuguese / French

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard envelope format

Collection Theme: Portuguese photographic trade, Franco-Portuguese commerce, interwar business networks, wholesale distribution

Archival Significance: This 1928 envelope documents commercial correspondence between Manuel Contente Pinto, a Portuguese business in Coimbra (specializing in optics, electricity, and related trades), and Photo Presto, a Paris-based wholesaler of photography, cinema, and phonograph equipment. The envelope illustrates the international trade networks that connected Portuguese retailers with French suppliers in the interwar period. Photo Presto's location on Rue Vivienne in Paris placed it in a historic commercial district known for photographic and optical trades. This item is a primary source for understanding the distribution channels for photographic and cinematic equipment in Europe, the commercial relationships between Portuguese and French businesses, and the infrastructure that supported the growth of photography and cinema in 1920s Portugal.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
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