During World War II, George Swede attended a diesel training school, preparing students for engine room work on diesel powered ships. This led him to his first marine job, on a Grace Line tug in New York. He subsequently worked for many other New York companies: Meseck, Circle Line, McAllister, and Moran being among his employers. As he acquired the necessary experience, he advanced in grade, eventually holding a Chief Engineer's ticket.
Swede's camera, a 4x5 Speed Graphic, always went aboard with him. During his years afloat, 1943 to 1967, he took some 2,000 pictures from the engine room door. His greatest interest was always the working craft of New York Harbor, but he captured many ocean liners from the best possible viewpoint. Many "human interest" shots of waterfront workers showed his skill. He was also commissioned to take a series of pictures of stripped down diesel engines for training manuals. Swede passed away in 1980.
This collection is available to the public by appointment at the Steamship Historical Society. Objects that are fragile, significant, or require additional tools to access may require archivist assistance.
Use, reproduction, and/or publication of archival material is prohibited without prior approval of the Steamship Historical Society. Fees and/or restrictions may apply. Please contact the SSHSA archivist, Astrid Drew, at adrew@sshsa.org for more information.
George Swede Photograph Collection, 1970.01, Steamship Historical Society of America Archives, www.sshsa.org.
The George Swede Photograph Collection includes negatives and prints of images taken by Swede, mostly of working vessels in New York Harbor. Tugs are featured prominently in the collection, including those of Moran Towing, McAllister, Meseck, and other tug/towing companies based in New York. In addition to vessels, boat crew and dock workers are also frequent subjects of Swede's photographs.
This collection is arranged by format/material, with negatives and prints housed distinctly. Individual negatives/prints are numbered according to Swede's unique system.
The Steamship Historical Society of America purchased this collection from George Swede’s widow, Rose Swede, in 1970. While no receipt of purchase has been found yet, the SSHSA is in possession of correspondence and reports that confirms the sale. The collection was retroactively accessioned, cataloged, and minimally processed in March 2023 by Tessa Mediano with an accession number of 1970.01.
Folders alphabetized by vessel name. Working vessels of NY harbor.