Viez (Everett) Collection (1981.02)

Biographical note

Everett E. Viez was a self-proclaimed "steamboat buff" and an avid collector of marine material. He attributed a lifelong interest in ships as "instrumental" in establishing his travel agency in the mid-1930s. He joined SSHSA in 1968 and noted his collection at that time included "over 7,000 actual photographs of passenger ships, large and small, to which [he] was constantly adding new material as [he] acquire[d] it". His pride flowed of his self described "very excellent and some rather rare photographs in my steamship photo collection which exceeds 7,000 prints".

His collection consists of two major parts: the photographic publicity material issued by the ocean-going and coast wise steamship lines of the 1920s and 1930s, comprising well over a thousand photos. In addition to the usual exterior views of ships, there were several hundred rare interior views of the long-gone ships of that period. The second part of the collection included pictures taken by Mr. Viez himself. He worked in the travel industry and took his camera with him. His shots record New York harbor activities in the 1920's and 1930's. He captured everything that floated, from ferries to ocean liners.