{"id":1722,"date":"2025-11-20T22:06:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T22:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillumeny.com\/johnwalker\/?page_id=1722"},"modified":"2026-05-29T07:49:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T07:49:04","slug":"on-line-exhibit-portuguese-match-industry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/phillumeny.com\/johnwalker\/on-line-exhibit-portuguese-match-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Portuguese match industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
OCHA, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exhibitor :<\/strong> Joel Viana de Lemos<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Most of the small match producers of the XIX century manufactured wooden matches with sulphur head. These matches were wrapped in small pieces of brown paper and were sold at fairs or distributed to the small grocery stores.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Public sale was assured by some hawkers who carried a tray hanging on a shoulder belt where the different matchboxes were displayed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

From August 6th<\/sup> 1892 onwards it was made compulsory to label all products showing the name or the brand of the producer. By that time many producers who only had illegible labels which were marked with rough rubber stamps cut with a small knife, lost their authorizations to manufacture matches.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

These difficulties led some of the smaller producers to illegal manufacture and selling. However most of these small manufactures decided to keep on producing and selling the matches to the biggest factories.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The main factories were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Ant\u00f3nio Maria<\/strong> Mattos<\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1880\/83<\/em><\/td>\nMaria  Margarida<\/strong> <\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1882\/94<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boa-F\u00e9<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1887\/93<\/em><\/td>\nMattos <\/strong>& C.ia<\/sup><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1877\/80<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Phosphoros Chimicos<\/strong> <\/td>\nOeiras<\/td>\n1893\/95<\/em><\/td>\nManoel  Ucha  <\/strong><\/td>\nV. Castelo <\/td>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A  Fenix <\/strong>(A  Phenix)  <\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n <\/em><\/td>\nNacional  <\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n1886\/95<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Geral<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1887\/95<\/em><\/td>\nOsti<\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n1864\/80<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jo\u00e3o  Domingo <\/strong> <\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n <\/em><\/td>\nF\u00f3sf. Portuguezes<\/strong> <\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n1890\/95<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jacintho<\/strong> Machado<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1877\/91<\/em><\/td>\nProgresso<\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n1875\/95<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cabral  Paes<\/strong> <\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1881\/87<\/em><\/td>\nPortuense<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1887\/89<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lisbonense<\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n <\/em><\/td>\nSeguran\u00e7a<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1889\/95<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mattos  Cabral<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1880 \/81<\/em><\/td>\nMelchor Sol\u00e1<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n1868\/80<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

(This list only presents the years of work that the consulted documentation confirmed)<\/p>\n

Some producers besides manufacturing the common sulphur matches also produced wick wax matches which were seen as a luxury product and were packed in spring flap type matchboxes.<\/p>\n

Some of those factories imported from the Italian lithographic printers, Armanino and Doyan, the material needed to assemble those cardboard matchboxes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I point out that the Portuguese factory \u201cComp.\u00aa de Phosphoros Seguran\u00e7a\u201d established a partnership with the Italian factory \u201cAbbona & Romagna\u201d from Moncalieri \u2013 Torino at the beginning of its activity (1889).<\/p>\n

Some of the matchboxes of the Portuguese company are equal to the ones of the Italian Factory.<\/p>\n

There are also labels from Portuguese factories identical to labels from factories in Spain.<\/p>\n

During the period until 1895 importing matchboxes was permitted, mainly from Italy and Spain. Spring flap matchboxes from the following Italian factories are known:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Ambrogio Dellacha<\/strong><\/td>\nMoncalieri -Torino<\/td>\nFaustino de Medici<\/strong><\/td>\nMilano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Abbona & Romagna<\/strong><\/td>\nMoncalieri -Torino<\/td>\nGiacomo de Medici<\/strong><\/td>\nMilano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Benvenuti & Salsiccioni<\/strong><\/td>\nLivorno  (Toscana)<\/td>\nL. Baschiera & C.\u00aa<\/strong><\/td>\nVenezia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Francisco Lavaggi e F.\u00ba<\/strong><\/td>\nTrofarello \u2013Torino<\/td>\nLuigi de Medici<\/strong><\/td>\nTorino<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Identified lithographic printers on Portuguese matchbox labels or on spring flap matchboxes are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Lit. Armanino  <\/strong><\/td>\nGenova – Italy<\/td>\nLith. Luzitana  <\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lit. Boronat  <\/strong><\/td>\nMadrid – Spain<\/td>\nLitografia  Esperan\u00e7a<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Costa  Carregal<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\nLyth. Moderna<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cayer <\/strong>& C.o<\/sup> <\/td>\nMarseille – France<\/td>\nLit. A  Nacional<\/strong> <\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Comm\u00e9rcio  do  Porto  <\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\nLith. Peninsular<\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lith. Carlos  Maigne  <\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\nLith. Progresso  <\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lit. Doyen<\/strong>  <\/td>\nTorino – Italy<\/td>\nLith. Portuense  <\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lith. Emilio Biel <\/strong>& C.ia<\/sup><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\nLith. Portugeza  <\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Litografia Eduardo<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\nReal <\/strong>Lith. Luzitana  <\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lith. Guedes<\/strong><\/td>\nLisboa<\/td>\nLith. Seguran\u00e7a  <\/strong><\/td>\nPorto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The match monopoly 1895-1925<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 1895 the monopoly of match manufacture is created according to the following chronology:<\/p>\n