Uses drawings and photographs to show the evolution of Philadelphia's waterfront and looks at the city's role as a major port and shipbuilding area.

Published on the Philadelphia Maritime Museum's 25th anniversary, this historical survey of Philadelphia's role as a major international port consists of 222 pictures with informative captions. The pictures, culled from numerous museums and private collections, present landmarks, images, and views of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers from the mouth of Delaware Bay to Philadelphia. Scenes of lighthouses, sailing ships, Thomas Eakins's rowers, and steamboats not only record more than two centuries of change in a port city but also present some of the port's ambience. Industries like shipbuilding and refining are also represented.