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Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Steamboats Ships, Boats, and Vessels

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Creator
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969
Place
New York (N.Y.) -- Transportation
Hudson River
Topic
Passenger ships
Marine machinery
Ships
Shipbuilding industry
Ferries
Transportation -- Japan
River boats
Marine engines
Boats
Transportation -- Far Eastern
Ships -- Equipment and supplies
Merchant Marine -- Manning of vessels -- United States
Docks
Health
Ocean liners
Merchant Marine -- United States
Ships -- Far Eastern
Rivers
Transportation -- river boat
World War, 1939-1945 -- Merchant Marine
Harbors
Trade associations
Transportation -- 1900-1910
Boats and boating
Water transport -- 18th century
Boats -- Southeast Asia
Cargo
Local transit -- New York (N.Y.)
Sailboats
Waterways
Sailing
Transportation -- New York (N.Y.)
Local transit
Scientific expeditions
Water transfer
Transportation -- History
Wharves
Steamboats
Boats -- New York (N.Y.)
Transportation
Public health
Marine engineers
Ocean travel
Seamen -- 1910-1920
Musical performances
Transportation -- Law and legislation -- United States
Merchant seamen
Marine engineering
Models and modelmaking
Navigation
Seamen -- 1940-1950
Travel
Importers
Shipping
Cruise ships
Ships -- New York (N.Y.)
Flags
Exports -- 19th century
Provenance
Steamboats [Ships, Boats, and Vessels] is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.
Creator
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969
See more items in
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Steamboats [Ships, Boats, and Vessels]
Sponsor
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Summary
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Accounting and Bookkeeping forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Extent
10.22 Cubic feet (consisting of 20 boxes, 2 folders, 9 oversize folders, 3 map case folders, 3 flat boxes (2 full, 1 partial.))
Date
1777-1965
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Steamboats
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Menus
Bills
Ships' passenger lists
Patents
Legislative documents
Photographs
Advertisements
Advertising mail
Advertising
Illustrations
Contracts
Trademarks
Inspections
Programs
Advertising cards
Advertising fliers
Print advertising
Legal documents
Travelogs
Souvenir programs
Business cards
Concert programs
Publications
Commercial correspondence
Correspondence
Receipts
Theater programs
Business records
Legal records
Business ephemera
Invoices
Bills of sale
Ships' logs
Technical reports
Reports
Letterheads
Ephemera
Design patents
Travel brochures
Legislation (legal concepts)
Business letters
Timetables
Travel diaries
Printed ephemera
Citation
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Ships, Boats, and Vessels, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Arrangement
Ships, Boats, and Vessels is arranged in three subseries. Business Records and Marketing Material General Maritime Businesses Operation Records of Named Vessels Shipping Lines/Conglomerates Miscellaneous Business Records and Marketing Material Genre Keepsakes Images Ledger Legal News Clippings Regulatory Reports Serial Publications Stamps/Cigarette Cards Associations and Societies Images, Artwork, Racing, Technical Literature Subject Battleships, Warships Destination Guides Employment and Licensing Insurance Maritime History Maritime Models and Art Revue Generale Des Sciences Warshaw Administrative Records
Processing Information
In November 2016, the name of this category was modified from "Steamboats" to "Steamboats [Ships, Boats, and Vessels] to reflect the scope of the content and the integration of two, now obsolete, categories: Sailboats and Ships/Shipping, although a few items leisure type items were moved to Yachts. In 2016, with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund, the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History implemented the use of minimal level processing standards to increase information about and facilitate access to more of our collections. For this subject, minimal processing included arrangement to the folder level, based on prior processing and preservation action, with retention of the pre-existing arrangement when possible, if applicable. Otherwise, an order was imposed by the Processing Archivist. Some materials were consolidated to eliminate excess bulk but items within folders were not arranged further. The guide may or may not include a more refined list of folder contents. Nonarchival housing was replaced for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners have not all been removed. Minimal level processing and machine-readable finding aid completed by Nicole Blechynden, 2017 February.
Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form
Menus -- Ships -- 1940-1950
Menus
Bills
Ships' passenger lists
Patents
Legislative documents
Photographs
Advertisements
Advertising mail
Advertising
Illustrations
Contracts
Trademarks
Inspections
Programs
Advertising cards
Advertising fliers
Print advertising
Legal documents
Travelogs
Souvenir programs
Business cards
Concert programs
Publications
Commercial correspondence
Correspondence
Receipts
Theater programs
Publications -- Business
Business records
Legal records
Business ephemera
Invoices
Bills of sale
Ships' logs
Technical reports
Reports
Letterheads
Ephemera
Design patents
Travel brochures
Legislation (legal concepts)
Business letters
Timetables
Travel diaries
Printed ephemera
Scope and Contents
Minimally covers the terminus of the wind-powered (sail) era and more fully documents the peak of the engine (steam) era of commercial cargo and passenger vesselsk, including freight and dockage services, maintenance and provisioning, ferry service, navigation (tug and tow) assistance, plus leisure cruising and touring. There is not a significant amount of material on battle or war ships. Includes both short distance routes such as lakes, rivers, and islets, and longer trans-oceanic crossings. Documents within the collection consist of handbills, broadsides, leaflets, books, business cards, advertisements, insurance forms, wreck reports, passenger lists, baggage tags, freight manifests, rate cards, correspondence on letterhead stationery, booklets, newspaper clippings, postcards, menus, periodicals, manuals, photographs, engravings, woodcuts, sketches, bills of lading, receipts, catalogues, ledgers, journals, purchase orders, broadsides, brochures, custom forms, schedules, shipping and receiving documents, early steam guides, timetables, lithographs, announcements, etc. There are no navigational nautical maps. There is very little in the way of international import/export records. However, domestic and North American freight services are well-covered through invoices, bills of lading, manifests, and receipts for goods and services. Some materials cover the history and development of steamships, particularly in the latter half of the nineteenth century with the iron screw replacing the wooden paddle steamer in the 1850s. The late 1860s brought the compound engine, which led to the steamship, previously used for the conveyance of mails and passengers, to compete with the sailing vessel in the carriage of cargo for long voyages. The 1870s brought improvements in accommodation for the passenger, with the midship saloon, conveniences in state-rooms, and covered access to smoke rooms and ladies cabins. Ownership of specific lines and vessels was very fluid throughout shipping history, including the renaming of vessels. Mergers, dissolution, and absorption of fleets were frequent. Thus, researchers should independently seek out a more detailed history for any entity of particular interest. The general maritime business series focuses on good and services related to maritime operations such as repair, shipbuilding, parts, ticket agents, chandlers, groceries, coal supply, dockage, wharfs/marinas, etc. Operation records of named vessels contains primarily bills of lading and similar receipts for the movement of material goods or in-water services such as tow and tug assistance. The largest series covering shipping lines and conglomerates offers a wide assortment of miscellaneous, nonexhaustive operation records for cargo and passenger lines and corporations, typically those with multiple holdings. These documents may include receipts, bills of lading, correspondence, and financial ledgers, plus promotional material for services and routes offered. Passenger sailings and luxury cruise documentation may contain menus, passenger lists, itineraries, shore excursion information, souveniers such as luggage tags, ticket stubs, and postcards. See also the subject category Menus, for additional examples of passenger and cruise ship menus. When not associated with any of the above, general examples of materials related to the industry have been by arranged by their material type such as images, reports, and serial publications. More formal documentation, especially legal and reports, can be found here. Narrative type materials related to lore, history, and building and design specifications have been sorted by subject. A scarce amount of material covers ships used for military service. Likewise, there are a few examples of maritime related material from the art world, mostly in the form of catalogues for exhibits or auction of paintings and scale models. A note on vessel names: those used as contract carriers of mail and when in service, were entitled to unique prefix designations such as Royal Mail Ship (RMS.), otherwise, the ship name may be preceded by the more generic S.S. for single-screw steamer or steamship, SV for sailing vessel, PS for paddle steamer, RV for research vessel or similar type prefix. USS is the standard for the United States Navy commissioned ships while in commission, with HMS used for His/Her Majesty's Ship of the British Royal Navy. Some of the major lines/companies represented in the collection include: American Line, American Steamship Company, Anchor Line, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Cunard-Anchor Line, Cunard Line, Cunard Steam Ship Company, Limited, Cunard White Star Line, Eastern Steamship Lines, Furness, Withy & Company, Hamburg American Line (HAPAG) / Hamburg Amerika Linie, Holland America Line (N.A.S.M. / HAL), Inman Line, International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM), International Navigation Company, North German Lloyd (Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen), Panama Pacific Line, Peninsular and Oriental, Red Star Line, Royal Mail Steam Packet, U.S. Mail Steamship Company, United States Lines, White Star Line.
Restrictions
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Related Materials
Several other Warshaw Subject Categories may have closely related material such as Submarines and Transportation. For casual and recreational boating see Boats and Boating Equipment and Yachts. Other subject categories that may have related materials include: Canals, Dredging, Engines, Menus, Railroads (point of common transportation transfer), and Tours. .
Forms Part Of
Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana. Series 1: Business Ephemera Series 2: Other Collection Divisions Series 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal Papers Series 4: Photographic Reference Material
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1562726408127-1562726408159-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8cc542278-2f59-4b3b-9008-a8b7679a46b5

In the Collection

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  • Shipping Lines/Conglomerates

  • Business Records and Marketing Material

  • Oversize N-Z

  • W, General

  • Philadelphia and Baltimore Packets

  • Deutsche Ost-Afrika-Linie

  • New York, Alexandria, Washington, and Georgetown Steamship Company

  • Western Transportation Company

  • J-L, General

  • Timetable

  • Lake Champlain and Lake George Steamers

  • Q-R

  • New York and New Orleans Steamship Company

  • Austro-American Line

  • E.A. Dickerson, Pilot Boat

  • Miscellaneous, Non-English

  • Jacksonville Southeastern Line

  • Great United States Mail Line

  • St. Louis, Naples, and Peoria Packet Company

  • Old Oswego Line Transportation Company

  • M, General

  • White Star Line

  • View of Harbor and North River, New York City

  • Royal Netherlands West India Mail

  • New Champion

  • Union Railroad and Transportation Company

  • Chester and Company

  • Great Northern Steamship Company

  • Manhattan Steamship Company

  • Boston and Philadelphia Regular Line

  • Impresa di Navigazione a Vapore sul Lago Maggiore

  • Menus

  • V, General

  • Early Business Records

  • M-O

  • White Star Line

  • Ohio and Tennessee River Transportation Company

  • Newcomen Society

  • Chesapeake Steamship Company

  • International Steamship Company

  • Seamen's Charities

  • Lariana

  • Mentor

  • Cox Towing Line

  • Thompson, Geo. and Company

  • General

  • 1900s

  • Coleman's California Line

  • Compromise Express Freight Line

  • New York and Albany Transportation Company

  • C-D

  • Warner's Philadelphia and Wilmington Steam Propeller Line

  • Kennebee Steamboat Company

  • Newburgh and Haverstraw Line

  • Swiftsure Transportation Line

  • Bodine and Alsdorf's Line

  • Philadelphia Steam Tug Company

  • G, General

  • New Haven Steamboat Company / Successors of the New Haven Steamboat Company

  • General

  • Lake Superior Transit Company

  • Keepsakes

  • M

  • Eastern Steamboat Company

  • International

  • Atlantic Transport Line

  • Inman and International Steamship Company

  • Neptune Line of Steamers / Neptune Steamship Company / Neptune Line of Screw Steamers

  • London departures timetable

  • New York, Maine, and New Brunswick Steamship Company

  • 1860s

  • Atlantic, Gulf and West Indies Steamship Lines

  • Androscoggin Lakes Transportation Company

  • Sea Shore Line

  • Stamps/Cigarette Cards

  • Statements and Contracts

  • Great Providence Line

  • Ships, General

  • Atlantic Coast Mail Steamship Company

  • Meseck Steamboat Corporation

  • Employment and Licensing

  • United States Mail Line

  • D-F

  • New Zealand and Australasian Steamship Company

  • Northern Steamship Company

  • Virginia Towing Company

  • Bergenske (Det) / Det Nordenfjeldske Steamship Companies

  • Casco Bay Steamboat Company

  • Seaman's Welfare Committee

  • Storied Coasts of the Mediterranean

  • New York and Amboy Towing Transportation Line

  • White's Magnificent Steamers

  • A, General

  • Keepsakes

  • Cromwell New York and New Orleans Steamship Line

  • Atlas Steamship Company Limited

  • City Line Through to America

  • Mayflower Sailor's Hostel

  • Shipping and Commercial List

  • Furness Bermuda Line

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Oversize N-Z
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