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South Street Seaport Museum
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South Street Seaport Museum

Where New York Begins.

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Photographs

Photographs

The South Street Seaport Museum collects visually striking photographs depicting the New York City waterfront, spanning from the late 19th century to the present day. This collection contains thousands of negatives and glass plates, lanterns and slides, stereoscopic cards, and vintage prints.

Highlights include the Thomas W. Kennedy Collection of ca. 1890-1915 glass plate negatives depicting the Seaport and Lower Manhattan, the Beken of Cowes and Stuart Bale photographs documenting transatlantic ocean liners of the mid to late 20th century, the Fairchild Aerial Surveys Inc. aerial photographs of New York Harbor ca. 1930-1960, and the Barbara Mensch Collection, which captures the vibrancy of the Fulton Fish Market and its workers prior to the Marketโ€™s relocation to Hunts Point in 2005.


Fishmongers standing inside the Fulton Fish Market, 1933
Thomas W. Lawson, ca. 1940
William L. Gwinn, early 20th century
United States Lighthouse Depot, Staten Island, ca. 1890
Employees of G.E. Maltby & Co. standing in front of 39-41 Harrison Street, ca. 1885
Queen Mary in New York Harbor, June 5, 1936
Italian Liner Sails with 160 Passengers, May 25, 1940
Green Coffee Association Tasters, mid-20th century
Capsized former Normandie undergoes salvage, July 15, 1943

Collections Online Portal

Browse a selection of Artwork, Artifacts and objects in our collection.

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Research Policies

To learn more about doing research on-site or accessing images please click the button below:

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South Street Seaport Museum

12 Fulton Street
NY, NY 10038
(212) 748-8600
Open: Sat-Sun 11-5

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