• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

593 results for: Maritime

Share:
Image of Steamship moored at Oregon Improvement Company Dock B, Seattle waterfront, circa 1890
Photograph

Steamship moored at Oregon Improvement Company Dock B, Seattle waterfront, circa 1890

Though unattributed, the photograph was probably taken by Seattle photographer John P. Soule.
ID Number:2011.26.7.46
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Reel of submarine cable on a Pacific Telephone and Telegraph barge, Seattle, 1936
Photograph

Reel of submarine cable on a Pacific Telephone and Telegraph barge, Seattle, 1936

The original submarine cable laying took place in 1928 for the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company. Emergency repairs became necessary on July 14, 1936.
ID Number:2011.73.7
Date:1936
Image of Elliott Bay Water Taxi poster, Seattle, 1997
Poster

Elliott Bay Water Taxi poster, Seattle, 1997

West Seattle is Seattle's oldest and biggest neighborhood, situated on a peninsula in Elliott Bay. Early public transportation between West Seattle and Seattle was mostly limited to the irregular and infrequent service provided by “Mosquito Fleet” steamships that traveled from port to port around Puget Sound. In 1888 the West Seattle Land and Improvement Company built a dock and launched…
ID Number:2012.26.65
Date:1997
Image of Frank James sitting on ship deck, circa 1895
Photograph

Frank James sitting on ship deck, circa 1895

Frank Vivian James (1867-1921), a California native, worked in the San Francisco Bay area as a marine engineer. He met his future wife, Rebecca Gaines (1869-1953), in Seattle, where she had attended the Territorial University of Washington (now University of Washington), graduating in 1888. After their 1891 marriage Frank and Rebecca settled in Alameda, California, where together they had three…
ID Number:2013.95.6
Date:Circa 1895
Image of The Wharf menu, circa 1958
Menu

The Wharf menu, circa 1958

This seafood restaurant was located in Fishermen's Terminal at Salmon Bay. A history of Fisherman's Terminal at Salmon Bay is on the back of the menu.
ID Number:2014.3.1.36
Date:Circa 1958
Image of Northern Pacific Steamship Company S.S. Victoria Christmas menu, 1902
Menu

Northern Pacific Steamship Company S.S. Victoria Christmas menu, 1902

The transatlantic ocean liner S.S. Victoria was built in Scotland in 1870 and was originally known as the S.S. Parthia. It was sold to Tacoma-based Northern Pacific Steamship Company in the early 1900s, and then ended up with the Alaska Steamship Company in 1908. This menu is for a special Christmas dinner aboard the Victoria.
ID Number:2014.3.1.73.1
Date:1902
Image of S.S. North Sea menu, June 19, 1936
Menu

S.S. North Sea menu, June 19, 1936

This postcard dinner menu is from a Northland Transportation Company passenger liner on the Alaska-Seattle run. An image of S.S. North Sea at Taku Glacier is on the back of the menu.
ID Number:2014.3.1.74
Date:1936
Image of Woman modeling outfit at fashion show, circa 1955
Photograph

Woman modeling outfit at fashion show, circa 1955

An unidentified woman poses on the runway at a fashion show, location unknown. This is possibly an event sponsored by the Vogue, a Seattle women's group. She wears a hat and a suit printed with maritime motifs.
ID Number:2014.49.Box22.Folder03.003
Date:Circa 1955
Image of Men standing at the rail of a ship, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Men standing at the rail of a ship, Seattle, circa 1953

Three unidentified crew members stand at the rail on the deck of an Alaska Steamship Company vessel. The men appear to be galley workers or stewards. One holds copy of a newspaper called The Dispatcher, with the headline "Stewards Signup Passes 75%," indicating the event is probably related to a union dispute.
ID Number:2014.49.014.026.0059
Date:Circa 1953
Image of Men shaking hands on a dock in front of a ship, Seattle, circa 1953
Photograph

Men shaking hands on a dock in front of a ship, Seattle, circa 1953

A group of unidentified stand on the dock near the gangplank of an Alaska Steamship Company vessel. One man is holding a copy of the newspaper The Dispatcher. Another man is flashing a "V" sign, and two others are shaking hands. The event is probably related to a union dispute.
ID Number:2014.49.014.026.0060
Date:Circa 1953
Previous 1 … 33 34 35 36 37 … 60 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved