The recordings were made by William Sinkler Darby, a British sound engineer who worked for Berliner, the company that later became EMI. He was touring continental Europe to demonstrate a recording machine, and after Porto he went on to Madrid.
What was recorded
Darby’s discs are 78 rpm gramophone records, part of a set of more than eighty recordings, sixty-seven of which have been found so far. Among them are two Fados: Fado Hilaryo, sung by Duarte Silva, and Oh Julia, sung by José Brito.
Why Porto
Probably because of wine. The English connection to Porto is old and commercial, and the city had a settled British community with contacts and means.
That connection counted again in 1926, when the Gramophone Company came to Portugal and signed with the Grande Bazar do Porto to run its label in the country.