Teatro Baquet
The Teatro Baquet was a theatre located in what is today Rua 31 de Janeiro in the city of Porto, Portugal. It opened in 1859 and was destroyed by fire in 1888, with the loss of 120 lives. Origins The Teatro Baquet was built by António Pereira. Work began on 21 February 1858, and the theatre was first used for a masked Carnival ball on 13 February 1859. Born in Porto, António Pereira emigrated to Spain with his family in 1828, where he learned to be a tailor. In 1836 he married Ignácia Lopez de la Rica. The couple had no children. On his return to Porto, Pereira rapidly established himself as a sought-after tailor. He started using the name "Baquet", possibly because he thought a foreign name would assist him to market his business, and established Casa Baquet, which sold the first ready-to-wear clothing in Porto. Historians are generally agreed that the origin of the "Baquet" name was a visit to Paris in which he was given it as a nickname. The word means “tub” in English. His business prospered and available evidence suggests that Baquet was able to fund the new theatre as the sole investor. The theatre