Caribbean and West Indies Cruise Trip Photograph Album
Scope and Content
This album contains photographs of a cruise taken aboard the S.S. Rotterdam of the Holland American Line in 1935. Within the album, there are photographs of people and places such as the coastal city La Guaira (La Guyra), street views of St. Thomas, huts in St. Thomas, Venezuelan fish sellers, and a pack train over the Andes Mountains. The creator of the album marked the trip route in the cruise map. The cruise began in New York, sailed to Port-Au-Prince, and then cruised to Curaçao. After Curaçao, the ship sailed to Venezuela, St. Thomas, and then back to New York. The assorted ephemera includes eleven daily programs for activities on the ship, blank autograph pages, and a dozen menus and event programs.
Dates
- Creation: 1935 February 3-14
Access
The collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Note
The origin of the Holland America Line goes all the way back to the nineteenth century. It was then when Dutch merchants began to use a new route thorough the Maas River towards the Atlantic. One example is the establishment of the Holland-America Line. In 1870, a group of entrepreneurs founded the C.V. Plate Reuchlin company in hopes of establishing a transatlantic route from Rotterdam to the Americas. On October 15th, 1872 the Rotterdam I sailed to New York after it was brought to the founders of the company. The ship carried 70 passengers and 800 tons of merchandise. The Rotterdam II was built in 1886 and was the first cruise ship to reach the opening of the Kieler Canal. In 1908, the Rotterdam IV sailed to the West Indies from New York. The company decided to paint the ship white to give it a cruise-like appearance. This ship was the first to have an enclosed promenade deck for first-class passengers. The Rotterdam IV was also the largest Dutch ship for two decades until it stopped service in the year 1939.
Extent
.01 Linear Feet (1 Volume)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Photographic album containing photographs taken during a cruise trip aboard the S. S. Rotterdam while sailing through the Caribbean and the West Indies in 1935.
Location
University of Florida Smathers Library Building
Alternate Form of Finding Aid
This guide is available in Spanish at https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/findingaids/Spanish/mss0461.pdf.
Acquisition Information
Purchased in 2018.
Subject
- Holland Amerika Lijn. (Organization)
- Title
- A Guide to the Caribbean and West Indies Cruise Trip Photograph Album
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Gabriela Gasca.
- Date
- November 2018
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu