Oblong Folio album (ca. 26x30,5 cm). 12 albumen paper leaves. With 62 original gelatin silver photographs (including one real photo postcard and one loose photograph), with five large-size panoramas ca. 9,2x29,8 cm, one small photo ca. 8,5x6 cm, and the rest ca. 8,9x14,3 cm.; also with 5 color printed postcards ca. 8,9x13,7 cm; and two printed ephemera ca. 24,6x18,8 cm. and 20,9x12,7 cm. Most photos with pencil or ink inscriptions (in English) on the front or the verso; apparently, all six postcards dated, stamped, and addressed to “Mr. Smith” in East Orange, New Jersey, USA.” Period black paper album with blind-tooled generic title “Photographs” on the front wrapper.  Loss of the spine, wrappers jointed with a tape, loss of the fragments of the wrappers, a couple of photos lack small fragments at the edges, slightly age-toned, but otherwise a very good album with strong, interesting photos.

Historically interesting collection of lively vernacular photographs taken by one “L.L.W.” during his cruise through the Caribbean in the early 1910s. As follows from the captions, the compiler (depicted in several photos) and his travel companions sailed aboard a commercial steamship, visiting Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Martinique, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Panama. After the Caribbean voyage, L.L.W. continued his travels to Italy, U.S., and Canada.

The album contains forty original gelatin silver photographs, including five excellent panoramic views capturing the ports and landscapes of Cartagena, Caracas, Havana, and Mt. Pelée—the latter depicting the infamous volcano whose catastrophic 1902 eruption destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre.

At least six photographs document Puerto Rico, with striking street views of San Juan’s city hall and plaza (with clearly visible signs — “Dentista,” “Pastello,” etc.), traditional ox carts, and nature huts. Especially interesting is a candid urban scene showing the compiler and a friend on horseback, followed by a porter balancing a heavy head load on foot. The image was likely taken along the famed Military Road between San Juan and Ponce, at the time considered among the finest in the Americas.

Over a dozen photographs document the travelers’ time in Cuba, with a focus on Havana’s colonial defenses and vibrant street life. Notable views include the Morro Castle Lighthouse, the Cabaña Fortress, and a bustling Havana street scene. One image shows members of the group posing beside a mounted Spanish cannon at the Cabaña, while another captures onlookers gathered near the “Surrender Tree,” a site associated with the end of the Spanish-American War.

From Colombia, the album includes a sweeping aerial panorama of Cartagena, a view of the Christopher Columbus statue in the Plaza de la Aduana, and the Ermita del Cabrero.

The other Caribbean images depict Jamaica (featuring an old aqueduct), Barbados (the Statue of Admiral Nelson in Bridgetown), Trinidad (a large bean tree), and Panama (a lively street view with the compiler’s ship visible in the distance). Several unidentified photos portray a railway line, sugarcane fields, and children playing by an automobile.

The album also includes photographs taken in Canada (Bay of Fundy, Sandy Cove), England (Sandown), Gibraltar (Europa Point), and Italy (Temple of Minerva Medica in Rome, the Duomo in Milan, and the David statue in Florence). Especially interesting is a well-composed image of the now-demolished iconic Pier 54 on the west bank of the Hudson River—later the arrival point for Titanic survivors just months after this photo was taken.

Overall, historically interesting collection of lively vernacular photographs taken by one “L.L.W.” during his cruise through the Caribbean in the early 1910s.