Photographic Collection
Seeking a stunning photograph of NW maritime history? Puget Sound Maritime’s collections contain more than 100,000 photos.
Tug Equator on the Seattle Waterfront, circa 1940. Williamson Photo Collection.
The largest and most comprehensive collection is the Joe Williamson Maritime Photograph Collection, by famed waterfront photographer, Joe Williamson. During his career running The Marine Salon he captured thousands of images of Puget Sound area maritime activity from the early 1900s to the 1950s. The collection consists of more than 50,000 individual ship photos and 30,000 negatives.
Joe Williamson in front of his downtown Seattle photo shop, The Marine Salon, holding a steam whistle. Date and source of whistle unknown.
PSM also cares for numerous other photograph collections, including the Hudson, Oaksmith, and Lloyd Stadum Collections, covering fishing vessels and American cargo and passenger ships.
Searching PSM Photo Collections
Digitized images are searchable through our online collections database. If you cannot find what you are looking for, contact our research staff; less than 7% of our photo collection has been digitized as of late 2025. We may be able to find what you are looking for.
Another place to search PSM’s historic photographs is at King County Snapshots. This early digitization project does not fully overlap with the images in our central online database, so it’s worth a look.
Photo Orders and Licensing
You can order digital scans of our photos directly from the database or by emailing us. Photographs protected under copyright laws may not be distributed without express written permission from Puget Sound Maritime. So please let us know your intended use when you request an image. Then we can provide you any special conditions or license fees relating to your order. All orders are subject to our Photo Licensing Agreement.
Students, MOHAI members, and PSM members will still receive a 15% discount on fees. Not a member? Join today to get your 15% discount!
Note:
- Specialty scans
Specialty scans of negatives, large format images, or exceptionally high resolution images are handled by the photography specialists at our partner organization, the Museum of History and Industry. These orders do require more time. - Joe Williamson Maritime Photograph Collection
If you are ordering a photo from the Joe Williamson Maritime Photograph Collection you can also order through our partners at MOHAI.
Payment
If you have already ordered a photo and received an invoice, you may pay;
- by mail, PO Box 81142, Seattle, WA 98108
- or pay online using the portal below.
