Official pier oppening of the expansion in front of the entrance to the city of Funchal, which took place on May 28, 1933. 
In the past, the disembarkation of passengers and goods was done by the islet of the fort of S. José or on the beach, on the back of a strong man, as can be seen in the photograph that we published here on February 10 of this year, in addition to being uncomfortable, it was also unsuitable for the high society people who passed through here. 
The first reference to the construction of a pier for a more noble landing, dates back to 1817, when the archduchess of Austria, D. Maria Leopoldina Carolina Josefa (1797-1826), sister-in-law of Napoleão Bonaparte and later on future empress of Brazil, that was heading to Rio de Janeiro to join D. Pedro I, with whom she had already married by power of attorney on May 13 of that year. Being a perishable bridge, attempts were made to build a perennial pier, namely in 1824 (in front of the S. Tiago fortress) and in 1843 (in the vicinity of the current pier), which was shattered by the force of the sea shortly after its (expensive) construction. Its ruins lasted some decades, with no solution in sight, until, in 1879, with the increase of the passengers circulation in the port of Funchal, it was considered to rebuild the vacant pier at the entrance of the city. From that idea until the beginning of the works, almost ten years passed, and the construction started only on January 18, 1889, having been completed on April 27, 1892. The image that illustrates this text goes back to those works, being able to visualize its entire length in our publication of 4 April this year.
At the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, the pier could no longer respond to the growing demand of Madeira’s destination, so that, in 1930, “Junta Autónoma das Obras do Porto” decided to expand it, which occurred between June 1932 and January 1933. The opening of the pier was scheduled for May 28 of that year, a symbolic date for the “Estado Novo”, because on that day, in 1926, the coup d'état that led to the fall of the First Portuguese Republic and the establishment of the Military Dictatorship.

Credits: Museu de Fotografia da Madeira - Atelier Vicente's.

JOAQUIM AUGUSTO DE SOUSA | Funchal city pier under construction (c. 1890)
16.4 x 21.6 cm | Simple glass negative | Silver salt gelatin
JAS / 587