Para a história do celuloide: evolução da indústria dos pentes em Portugal, 1880-1970

Abstract

In this article, we address the evolution of the comb industry in Portugal from 1880 to 1970 with the aim of understanding the technological, economic and social impact of celluloid in the national context. We explain, from historical and statistical sources and chemical analysis of Portuguese combs with historical significance, from the collections of Sociedade Martins Sarmento and Casa da Memória de Guimarães, that the introduction of celluloid by the comb industry of Guimarães, in 1895, revolutionized the industrial context of Guimarães, transforming it into a center for the production of (semi)synthetic plastics from the 1950s onwards. Celluloid had impact on the tortoishell imitation market, sought by social classes with low economic power, and coexisted industrially and commercially with horn, the traditional material used in combmaking.

Keywords

• business history
• celluloid
• horn
• plastic
• combs
• industrial history