Steamship Voyage to South America Photograph Album

c. 1903.  An album of 24 leaves with 106 photographs of varying sizes (most measure 8.5 x 8 cm) mounted on the leaves and endpapers. Captions written in period manuscript ink in English appear on the album mounts or on the image margins. The album documents a voyage from New York to Lima, taken in June-November of 1903, on several ships of the Panama Railroad Steamship Line (S. S. Palena, Seguranca and Loan) and via the company's famous railroad across the Panama Isthmus. The travelling party included the Peruvian consul in New York, Francisco Pérez de Velasco, and his family including:  wife, Isabel Oyague Soyer, daughter, Isabel Pérez de Velasco Oyague (born in New York, d. 1951), and son José Vicente Pérez de Velasco Oyague. The collection was most likely assembled by the family's companion or governess from New York.

The images include a series of fascinating views of the Panama Isthmus before the construction of the Panama Canal had been finished featuring the Bay of Panama and streets of Colon, the Panama Cathedral, inland railroad stations and villages, locals selling fruits, and children among others.  Another picture of interest is one of the United States Gunboat 'Boston' in Panama Bay just before firing on the Declaration of Independence of Panama.  The Peruvian views show the ports of Callao, Paita and Salaverry, with a series of Lima images - panoramas taken from San Christobal, three images of the Lima railway station, scenes in Barranco neighbourhood, Lima street view, three images from Chorillos (native soldiers, locals and Chorillos renowned beach). The collection includes 13 views of the Guayaquil coast taken on board S.S. Loa in July 1913, on the way to Lima. There are also two views of the Cuban shores taken from the distance, and a view of La Paz, Bolivia.  The album also contains at least 18 portraits of the members of Velasco's family, posing on board of a steamships and in New York before departure (Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Grant's Tomb).  Included is a small blue-printed photograph and advertisement of bull fights in Lima.