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  • Gjenvick-Gjønvik's
    GG Archives
    Milwaukee, WI, USA

Holland-America Line: A Legacy of Immigration, Luxury Travel, and Ocean Voyages (1872-1954)

 

(N.A.S.M.) aka HAL (Holland Amerika Lijn)

The Historical Documents from the Holland America Line at the Archives is one of the most popular collections. The passenger lists and menus often have some of the most intricate, beautiful artwork - very elaborate and ornate covers that are treasured the world over. Our collection of passenger lists of the Holland America Line covers the first half of the twentieth century.

Just in case you were wondering, the N.A.S.M. is an Acronym for Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij.

 

Holland-America Line Passenger Lists

 

Front Cover, Ships List, SS Spaarndam, Holland-America Line 1899-09-07

 

 

Passenger Manifest, Potsdam, 18 September 1909

 

 

Passenger Manifest, Potsdam, 2 August 1913

 

 

Passenger Manifest, Veendam, 7 August 1928

 

 

Front Cover, Passenger Manifest, TSS Nieuw Amsterdam, Holland-America Line, July 1930, Rotterdam to New York

 

 

Cover, Holland-America Line SS Statendam First, Tourist, and Third Class Passenger List - 29 June 1934.

 

 

Front Cover of a Cabin, Tourist and Third Class Passenger List for the SS Volendam of the Holland-America Line, Departing 9 September 1939 from Antwerp to New York

 

 

Holland-America Line Menus

 

Front Cover, SS Noordam Dinner Bill of Fare - 20 June 1907

1907-06-20 SS Noordam Dinner Menu

Exquisite Vintage Bill of Fare from Thursday, 20 June 1907 featured Filet of Beef à la Nivernais, Veal Sweetbreads with Mushrooms, and Towering Dessert Piece with Nougats. The Noordam served the Rotterdam to New York Transatlantic route. In French with English Translation.

 

Menu Cover, Dinner Bill of Fare and Music Program, RMS Ryndam, Holland-America, 1922

1922-10-11 SS Ryndam Dinner Menu

Ornate Vintage Bill of Fare from Wednesday, 11 October 1922 featured Salmon slices à la butler Apples Natural, Beef tongue braised à la Choisy, and Suchard Cake for dessert. The menu, written in French, has been translated to English. A Music Program was included with this menu.

 

Menu Card, SS Nieuw Amsterdam Luncheon Bill of Fare Card - 15 August 1930

1930-08-15 SS Nieuw Amsterdam Luncheon Menu

Vintage Tourist Cabin Bill of Fare from 15 August 1930 featured Ballotine of Veal Glacé, Rice Soup Creole, and Apple Pie for dessert.

 

Front Cover of a Vintage Independence Day Third Class Dinner Menu from Wednesday, 4 July 1934 on board the RMS Statendam of the Holland-America Line

1934-07-04 SS Statendam Independence Day Dinner Menu

Vintage Independence Day Third Class Dinner Menu from Wednesday, 4 July 1934 on board the RMS Statendam of the Holland-America Line featured Stewed Codfish à la Rochambeau, Roast Aloyau of Beef à la Mount Vernon, and George Washington Cake for dessert.

 

Front Cover of a Vintage Third Class Farewell Dinner Menu from Thursday, 5 July 1934 on board the RMS Statendam of the Holland-America Line

1934-07-05 SS Statendam Farewell Dinner Menu

Vintage Third Class Farewell Dinner Menu from Thursday, 5 July 1934 on board the RMS Statendam of the Holland-America Line featured Suprême of Halibut Fecampoise, Braised Beef Bohémienne, and Génoise Cake for dessert.

 

Front Cover, SS Statendam Dinner Bill of Fare - 30 November 1939

1939-11-30 SS Statendam Dinner Menu

Vintage Tourist Class Bill of Fare from Thursday, 30 November 1939 featured Roast Boneless Saddle of Lamb, Roast Hare with Apple Sauce, and Mixed Compote for dessert.

 

Menu Cover, Dinner Menu, SS Veendam, Holland-America Line, 23 July 1948

1948-07-23 SS Veendam Dinner Menu

Graphically elegant Vintage First Class Bill of Fare from Friday, 23 July 1948 featured Braised Escalops of Sweetbread, Toulousaine, Glazed Ballotine of Veal, Princesse, and Galettes Viennoise for dessert.

 

Menu Cover, Dinner Menu, SS Veendam, Holland-America Line, 24 July 1948

1948-07-24 SS Veendam Dinner Menu

Elegant Vintage First Class Bill of Fare from Saturday, 24 July 1948 featured Roast Prime Rib of Beef au Jus, Calf's Tongue, Italienne sauce, and Tartelettes Pensé for dessert.

 

Menu Cover, Dinner Bill of Fare (Wednesday), SS Veendam, Holland-America Line, 24 July 1948

1948-07-28 SS Veendam Dinner Menu

Vintage Bill of Fare with exceptional graphics from Wednesday, 28 July 1948 featured Vol-au-Vent à la Toulouse, Roast Long Island Duckling, and Galettes MacMahon for dessert.

 

Front Cover, SS Nieuw Amsterdam Farewell Dinner Bill of Fare - 23 May 1951

1949-11-14 SS Veendam Farewell Dinner Menu

Vintage First Class Bill of Fare from 14 November 1949 featured Filet Mignon Sauté, Beauharnaise, Fillet of English Sole au Vin Blanc, and Petits Fours Gourmandises for dessert.

1951-05-23 SS Nieuw Amsterdam Farewell Dinner Menu

Vintage Cabin Class Bill of Fare from 23 May 1951 featured Medaillon of Salmon Bonaparte, Fried Steak, Bearnaise Sauce, and Frozen Smiles for dessert.

 

Holland-America Line Programs

 

Front Cover, Cabin Class Activities Program from the RMS Nieuw Amsterdam for the Voyage Beginning 27 August 1938.

1938-08-27 Activities Program - RMS Nieuw Amsterdam

Social and Sporting Activities for the Voyage from Rotterdam to New York onboard the RMS Nieuw Amsterdam of the Holland-America Line. Cabin class passengers enjoyed many events including a variety of deck sports, movies, card games, concerts, dancing, children's parties, horse races, and more.

 

Holland-America Line Immigrant Documents

 

Holland-America Line Inspection Card (Third Class Passengers)

 

Immigrant Outer-Garment ID Tag

1923-09-26 Ellis Island Immigrant Document Collection

A Superb collection of Immigration Documents

From 1892 to 1954 Millions of immigrants were processed through Ellis Island. This is a collection of documents that pertain to a 65 year-old Lithuanian immigrant, Barbara Vitkiene, who arrived at Ellis Island in 1923 including the Immigrant Inspection Card, Immigrant ID Tag and passenger manifest extracts and images.

 

Holland-America Line Photographs

 

Holland-America Line Piers at Hoboken, NJ - 1905.

Holland-America Line Piers at Hoboken, NJ - 1905. Detroit Publishing Company Photograph # 010901. Library of Congress # 2016801102. GGA Image ID # 15c5017e88

 

Entrance to the Holland-America Line Piers in Hoboken New Jersey, 1905.

Entrance to the Holland-America Line Piers in Hoboken New Jersey, 1905. New York--Rotterdam via Boulogne-sur-Mer. Detroit Publishing Company # 033853. Library of Congress # 2016809516. GGA Image ID # 15c571312c

 

Holland-America Line Docks in Hoboken, NJ ca 1910.

Holland-America Line Docks in Hoboken, NJ ca 1910. Detroit Publishing Company # 015659, Library of Congress # 2016802457. GGA Image ID # 15c5698c2f

 

Holland-America Line Postcards

 

Picture Postcard of the Holland-America Line TSS Rotterdam. 24,170 Tons Register. 37,190 Tons Displacement. Postally Used on 1 May 1909.

Front Side, Picture Postcard of the Holland-America Line TSS Rotterdam. 24,170 Tons Register. 37,190 Tons Displacement. Postally Used on 1 May 1909. US Postage One Cent Stamp Affixed. GGA Image ID # 15c393757a

 

Postcards from the Holland-America Line

Our Collection features picture postcards of the Holland-America Line fleet, including the TSS Rijndam, TSS Rotterdam, and the elusive TSS Statendam III (1929). Tonnage was stated in Tons Register and Tons Displacement.

 

The Story of the Holland-America line

As early as 1852, attempts were made to get a subsidized transatlantic service. Plans were made for a service of great importance, starting from Holland, to touch at Batavia, New Holland, Curaçao, and Chagres {Panama peninsula). The line to the East Indies and Australia was to start from Amsterdam and move to the West Indies from Rotterdam.

In France, at Napoleon III's suggestion, the "Messageries Impériales" (later "Maritimes") had been started; in this country, it was felt that we ought to follow suit, but neither here nor there anyone thought of creating such an undertaking without a large subsidy from the State.

It soon became apparent that splendid service to all parts of the world could not be sustained, so they confined themselves to the most necessary lines. It was then understood that the capital would have regular service to the Dutch Indies and Rotterdam, the line to New York.

In 1856, Minister van Hall, whose beneficial influence Rotterdam experienced in so many other ways, declared himself willing to introduce a bill by which the State guaranteed 3% interest per year for ten years for the Holland-America line and a subsidy of f 500.— per voyage.

Van Hall told the Rotterdam merchants he consulted about this enterprise that he had been directed to make this proposition by King William III. Neither the King's suggestion nor the favorable financial conditions could persuade the Rotterdam leading circles to start such a service. They wanted 4 1/2 to 5% interest guaranteed for 20 to 25 years.

In the meantime, ideas altered, and every subsidy to a steamship company was henceforth regarded as unwarrantable protection.

The Company "Nederland, "started immediately after the opening of the Suez Canal, chiefly through the influence of H. R. H. Prince Hendrik, was therefore to establish the connection between the capital and the colonics without any subsidy. On March 24, 1870, the loan for this service was contracted. Yet the government, very judiciously, supported the Company by consenting to the most favorable contracts for carrying the mail, government officials, and government-produce.

When this ideal, fostered for over 2o years, had thus been fulfilled, Rotterdam merchants also wished to do their share. About this time, Messrs Plate and Reuchlin succeeded in contracting a loan of f 450,000 and issuing debenture bonds to the same amount. They built two steamers, the "Maas" and the "Rotterdam," of 2500 and 1600 tons and started the service to New York.

The undertaking of those gentlemen was converted into the Holland-America S.S. Comp in 1872, chiefly with the support of Prince Hendrik. The two little steamers had been built no larger because they could not otherwise have passed through the locks in the Voorne canal.

When the New Waterway was approaching completion, Holland America added two deep-drawing vessels of great capacity. The difficulties experienced in finishing the New Waterway hampered the Company's development to a degree. Challenging years were lived through, not only as a consequence of this delay but also because of unfavorable economic circumstances in the U.S. Its energetic managers, however, succeeded in overcoming all difficulties.

The Holland-America line is now in a most flourishing condition. Its capital amounts to a million pounds. Everything points to a strong financial position so that even less good years may be looked forward to without anxiety. High dividends have been paid in the late years (11 % in 1907).

The Holland-America line always championed the movement when the harbors had to be extended. Initially, the steamers berthed at the Willems quay. In 1880, as soon as the "Rotterdamsche Handels-Vereeniging" piers had been finished, the steamers removed to the Stieltjes quay, between the Koninginne bridge and the Hinnen Harbor.

In 1891, the Holland-America line was the first to use the newly built Wilhelmina quay. It is still established there and has offices, stores, sheds, workshops, a hotel for emigrants, etc. Before long, when the Rotterdam Lloyd is removed, all the Wilhelmina quay will pass to the Holland-America line.

From 1872 to 1907, this Company carried 240,000 cabin passengers, 830,000 third-class passengers, and 21 million tons of cargo. Thirty million guilders were paid in wages, 15 million in food, 20 million to keep the ships and engines in repair, and 25 million in coal.

The Holland-America line fleet consists of the following vessels:

Twin-screw Passenger Steamers

  • TSS Rotterdam 24,170 Tons
  • TSS Nieuw Amsterdam 17,250 Tons
  • TSS Noordam 12,531 Tons
  • TSS Rijndam 12,527 Tons
  • TSS Potsdam 12,522 Tons
  • TSS Statendam 10,491 Tons

Freight steamers:

  • SS Soestdijk 6,445 Tons
  • SS Amsteldijk 6,435 Tons
  • SS Sloterdijk 6,480 Tons

Moreover, the company owns nine lighters, two of which are steamers with a total capacity of 4000 tons, for the carriage of goods from Hook of Holland and steam tenders.

Every week, steamers leave Rotterdam and New York. They call at Boulogne-sur-Mer on the way. Moreover, the company has services to Philadelphia and Newport News with steamers, which they own or charter.

The Holland-America line has joined the great combination of Transatlantic Steamship companies, reserving its independence and organization.

 

H. A. van Ysselsteyn, "The Holland-America line or the Holland-America S.S. Company," in The Port of Rotterdam, Rotterdam: Nijgh & Van Ditmar's Publishing Company, Third Ed., 1908, pp. 218-220.

 

Review and Summary of the Holland-America Line Archival Collection

Introduction to the Holland-America Line (HAL/N.A.S.M.)

Founded in 1872 as the Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (N.A.S.M.), the Holland-America Line (HAL) became one of the most significant transatlantic steamship companies, carrying hundreds of thousands of immigrants to the United States while also catering to luxury passengers on grand voyages.

Operating primarily from Rotterdam to New York, with stops in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Plymouth, and Halifax, the company provided both immigrant passage and high-class accommodations, making its history valuable to maritime historians, genealogists, and educators alike.

This archival collection preserves passenger lists, menus, brochures, immigrant documents, and photographs from some of the most iconic ships in HAL’s fleet.

 

 

Key Highlights from the Collection

1. Immigration and the Holland-America Line

The Holland-America Line was a crucial carrier of European immigrants to the United States and Canada, making this collection an essential resource for genealogists and family historians.

Notable Immigration Records in the Collection:

  • 1923 Ellis Island Immigration Documents: A Lithuanian immigrant's journey, complete with ID tags and inspection cards.
  • 1904 Holland-America Line Steerage Inspection Card: Used for third-class passengers upon arrival.
  • Numerous Pre-WWII Passenger Manifests (1899-1939): Covering voyages to New York, Halifax, and Philadelphia.

Why It’s Interesting:

These documents provide real-life examples of the immigration process, showcasing the challenges and logistics of transatlantic migration in the early 20th century.

 

 

2. Notable Ships and Their Voyages

This archive provides detailed records of famous Holland-America Line ships, illustrating their evolution from immigrant carriers to luxury liners.

Important Ships in the Collection:

  • SS Rotterdam (1904-1954): The flagship of the fleet, serving both immigrant and luxury travelers.
  • SS Nieuw Amsterdam (1908-1938): A top-tier luxury liner known for its elegant interiors and state-of-the-art amenities.
  • SS Statendam (1898-1940): Famous for high-class travel and stylish dining experiences.
  • SS Volendam (1922-1954): A wartime refugee ship later converted into a post-war transatlantic vessel.

Each ship’s passenger lists, brochures, and photos document the golden age of ocean travel and its transformation over time.

 

 

3. Life On Board: Dining, Social Events, and Entertainment

HAL was renowned for its onboard experience, offering some of the most extravagant menus and entertainment programs of any transatlantic liner.

Dining at Sea

  • 1907 SS Noordam Dinner Menu: Featured Filet of Beef à la Nivernais and Veal Sweetbreads with Mushrooms.
  • 1934 SS Statendam Independence Day Menu: Included George Washington Cake and Roast Aloyau of Beef à la Mount Vernon.
  • 1948 SS Veendam Elegant Dinner: Served Braised Escalops of Sweetbread Toulousaine and Galettes Viennoise.

Social and Entertainment Programs

  • 1938 SS Nieuw Amsterdam Cabin Class Activities: Featured deck games, movies, concerts, and dancing.
  • Farewell Dinners & Celebrations: The 1934 SS Statendam farewell dinner menu included an extravagant five-course meal, symbolizing the grandeur of ocean travel.

Why It’s Interesting:

These menus and programs provide a firsthand look at life aboard these ships, from casual travelers to first-class luxury passengers.

 

 

4. Brochures and Advertisements: Promoting the Holland-America Experience

HAL’s marketing reflected its dual role as both an immigrant carrier and an elite cruise line.

Notable Brochures & Advertisements:

  • 1908 HAL Expansion Plans: Detailed the company’s investment in high-class passenger services.
  • 1928 First-Class Transatlantic Brochure: Showcased lavish interiors and accommodations for luxury travelers.
  • 1938 "Go Tourist Class" Brochure: Marketed affordable transatlantic travel for middle-class passengers.

Why It’s Interesting:

These advertisements highlight how HAL adapted to changing times, shifting from mass immigration to luxury cruising in the 1920s and 1930s.

 

 

Why This Collection is Valuable to Different Audiences

For Historians and Ocean Travel Enthusiasts:

  • Provides a detailed history of transatlantic ocean liners, from immigrant voyages to elite luxury cruises.
  • Documents social class divisions aboard ships, showcasing the differences between steerage, tourist class, and first-class travel.
  • Offers insights into how the shipping industry changed after WWI and WWII.

 

 

For Genealogists and Family Historians:

  • Features original passenger manifests, helping people trace their ancestors’ immigration journeys.
  • Includes inspection cards, ID tags, and contracts, giving an authentic look at immigrant experiences.

 

 

For Teachers and Students:

  • Supports lessons on immigration history, industrialization, and global travel in the early 20th century.
  • Provides visual and textual resources for understanding the role of steamships in migration and tourism.

 

 

Final Thoughts

The Holland-America Line Archival Collection is a treasure trove of maritime history, offering insights into both immigrant travel and luxury transatlantic voyages.

For historians, genealogists, and maritime enthusiasts, these records provide a detailed and immersive look at an era when ocean liners were the primary link between Europe and the Americas.

This collection ensures that the stories of those who traveled aboard these ships—whether seeking a new life or enjoying a grand voyage—are preserved for future generations.

 

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