On Monday, March 10, 2014 UMass Dartmouth hosted a book presentation of The Cabral de Mellos and New Bedford – Photographic Album – 1893-1931, by Dr. José de Almeida Mello on in the Claire T. Carney Library Grand Reading Room.
The book is a photo collection of the Cabral de Mello family and their cultural and kinship relations in the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The book documents the family and their links to the town of Salga, S. Miguel, Azores and New Bedford, their cultural lifestyle, and their penchant for being photographed in New Bedford photo studios. The Cabral de Mello photographic collection is an expressive legacy of an Azorean family’s path in the city of New Bedford during a period of 37 years.
The author, Dr. Jose de Almeida Melo, is a historian and the chief librarian of the Ponta Delgada Municipal Library and the cultural attaché of Ponta Delgada City Hall. He is also is a prolific author of many books and monographs. He published Sahar Hassamain Synagogue in Ponta Delgada (2009) a book which tells the story of the Synagogue and speaks of the importance to preserve the Jewish legacy in the Azores.
The publisher and Dr. Almeida Melo gifted UMD with a special edition of the book. The oversized book is in a specially made box, has an ornate cover carved into wood that is local to S. Miguel, and was hand-sewn. The book will be catalogued and can be found in the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives.
