Guide to the Stephan Gmelin Photograph Collection , 1921-1989
Steamship Historical Society of America, Archives
Steamship Historical Society of America
2500 Post Road
Warwick, RI 02886
Tel: 401-463-3570
E-mail: info@sshsa.org
Published in 2023
Collection Overview
| Title: | Stephan Gmelin Photograph Collection |
| Date range: | 1921-1989 |
| Creator: | Gmelin, Stephan |
| Extent: | 2.5 linear feet |
| Abstract: | Approximately 2,000 film negatives of photographs of ships taken by Gmelin and his brother, Alexander. |
| Language of materials: | English |
| Repository: | Steamship Historical Society of America, Archives |
| Collection number: | 2004.03 |
Scope & content
The Stephan Gmelin Collection contains approximately 2,000 black and white and color negatives of ships and SSHSA meetings, along with several 8mm and one 16 mm film on various maritime themes. Most of the images are of cargo ships, with some ocean liners and passenger excursion ships/boats. Some of the negatives were produced by Gmelin's brother, Alexander Gmelin. The images in this collection were taken between 1921-1989.Access Points
Subject Names Subject Organizations- Adriatic (Ship)
- Alcoa Steamship Company
- Cunard Line, ltd.
- Hudson River Day Line
- Meseck Lines
- Steamship Historical Society of America
- United States Lines Company
Arrangement
Negatives are arranged in four boxes by ship name in alphabetical order. Films are loosely stored with other films in the SSHSA collection.
Biographical note
Stephan Gmelin was an amateur maritime photographer based out of Cranford, NJ. He was also a longtime member of SSHSA, serving on the Board of Directors from 1951-1960 and writing eight articles for Steamboat Bill. Gmelin passed away on July 11, 2001.Access & Use
| Access to the collection: | 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 of the materials: | 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. |
| Preferred citation: | Stephan Gmelin Photograph Collection, 2004.03, Steamship Historical Society of America Archives, www.sshsa.org. |
| Contact information: | Steamship Historical Society of America, Archives Steamship Historical Society of America 2500 Post Road Warwick, RI 02886 Tel: 401-463-3570 E-mail: info@sshsa.org |
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION | |
| Acquisition: | This collection was donated to the SSHSA by Gmelin’s son, Robert, in August 2004. It was retroactively accessioned by Assistant Archivist Tessa Mediano in May 2023 with the accession number 2004.03. |
| ABOUT THE FINDING AID | |
| Author: | Finding aid prepared by Tessa Mediano. |
| Encoding: | Finding aid encoded by Tessa Mediano 2023 June 20 |
| Descriptive rules: | Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) |
Additional Information
| Related material: | Stephan Gmelin Clipping Collection, 2003.01, Steamship Historical Society of America Archives, www.sshsa.org |
Inventory
| Box 1 | Ship Negatives I Contents Note: Abbazia - Dutchess |
| Box 2 | Ship Negatives II Contents Note: E.B. Barber - Lurline |
| Box 3 | Ship Negatives III Contents Note: Madawaska - Sierra |
| Box 4 | Ship Negatives IV Contents Note: Sienos Island - Zeilin, SSHSA negatives and prints (some by R. Loren Graham) |