My wife Elaine, also a photographer, had been to Brazil in 1980 for an exhibition and lecture. As a result, we became aware of American built steamboats providing overnight excursion trips in Brazil. We returned in 1981. Though we toured the environs of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais for four weeks, this page features our unique and all too short trip on the Pittsburgh built steamboat Benjamim Guimarães.

These boats were built by James Rees & Sons Company (1845-1930) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As described in their 1913 catalog, the Rees Co. fabricated steel hull steamboats which were shipped to many countries worldwide and assembled on site. The Idlewild/Avalon/Belle of Louisiville was built by James Rees Co. in 1914. Late in 2020 the Benjamim Guimarães was pulled from the river for repairs and restoration.