Global InformationAlfred Diston information
Alfred Diston | |
|---|---|
 Watercolour of Alfred Diston made by Elizabeth Murray in 1854. | |
| Born | 8 February 1793 Lowestoft, England |
| Died | 2 April 1861 (aged 68) Port Orotava, (now Puerto de la Cruz), Tenerife, Spain |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Alfredo Diston |
| Occupation(s) | merchant, painter and ethnographer |
Alfred Diston (Lowestoft, County of Suffolk, England, 8 February 1793; Puerto Orotava, Tenerife, 2 April 1861) was a British merchant and writer on a wide variety of subjects who lived in Puerto de la Cruz (former Puerto Orotava), Tenerife, between 1810 and 1861.
His illustrated manuscripts, his notebooks, and his watercolours and drawings represent a valuable documentary source to learn about many aspects of the society and the natural environment of Tenerife and the rest of the Canary Islands during the first half of the 19th century.[1]
His relevance to the culture of the Canary Islands lies in the fact that he contributed in many disciplines, especially in those related to the knowledge and study of Canary Islands’ traditional clothing and customs of the time.
His major role in the introduction of the Cavendish banana in the Canary Islands was also very significant, and some of its cultivars are known today as “plátano de Canarias” (Canary Islands banana). The expansion of its cultivation throughout the islands and its export to England from 1870 to 1878 [2] had an enormous impact on the economy of the Canary Islands for more than a century until the consolidation of mass tourism.
- ^ García Pérez, José Luis. Viajeros ingleses en las islas Canarias durante el siglo XIX. Ed. Idea, Tenerife. 2007: pp. 269-290. ISBN 978-84-8382-031-5.
- ^ González Lemus, Nicolás. Los inicios del tomate, plátano y turismo en Canarias. Apuntes histórico-económicos Archived 2021-04-12 at the Wayback Machine. Anuario de Estudios Atlánticos, 2005, 51: pp. 431-473. Digital copy in Biblioteca de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Consulted on 2 April 2021.