José do Canto - an Azorian gentleman farmer

Abstract

José do Canto (1820-1898) was never a public figure who, via the arts or political position, would have entered the annals of our collective memory. Although a child of his century, he - like many others - does not play a part in the «official» records of 19th century Portugal. This biographical contribution aims to portray within the context of 19th century Portuguese history an Azorian landowner who, blessed by fortune and cosmopolitan success, tried to bring about a «revolution from the top down» in local agriculture, a patriotic fantasy that over the years became a merely personal, family project, which itself left marks that are still today visible on the landscape of his native island.