Antique 1923 Glass Plate Negative Charles River Boston Women Swim Team OOAK for Sale

Antique 1923 Glass Plate Negative Charles River Boston Women Swim Team OOAK For Sale

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Antique 1923 Glass Plate Negative Charles River Boston Women Swim Team OOAK:
$150.00

Antique 1923 Glass Plate Negative Charles River Boston Women Swim Team OOAK

Original 1920s Glass Plate Negative — Charles River Women's Swim Team & Regatta Dock (Boston, MA)

Up for sale is an original antique 4x5 glass plate negative documenting a massive group portrait of a women's swim team / swim club assembled on a wet wooden dock during an organized competition on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1922–1925.

The remarkable wide composition features over twenty female swimmers in period knit racing swimsuits and swim caps, centered around a teammate wearing an athletic jersey with a prominent letter "S". Kneeling at the front are two younger team mascots/swimmers in hooded beach robes. Behind them, spectators, officials in three-piece suits and straw boaters, rain umbrellas, and a covered motor launch boat crowd the dock and floating ramp.

The negative is accompanied by its matching original period paper enclosures:

Inner linen paper sleeve inscribed in vintage pencil: "Bathing girls / Interesting Background"
Outer Kraft envelope printed and inscribed in red ink: "Bathing Girls" with pencil notation below: "Interesting backdrop".

Listing Includes:

The physical, original antique 4x5 glass plate negative.
Both original vintage paper proof sleeves/envelopes.
Note: The positive digital image shown is an inverted reference scan to illustrate sharpness, composition, and tonal contrast. No physical paper photograph is included.

Physical Condition & Preservation:

Glass: Intact, flat, and structurally sound with no cracks or breaks. Minor expected field handling wear along the outer glass margins.
Emulsion: Gelatin dry plate emulsion layer is well-preserved with sharp focus throughout the extensive lineup, clear facial expressions, and excellent detail in the wet timber dock and background crowd.
Envelopes: Both period order sleeves are complete and intact with clear, legible annotations.
Please review all listing photos for full physical condition and edge details.

The glass plate negative measures 4 x 5In.
If you collect glass negatives, please check out our collection in our store. We are currently listing thousands of original glass photo negatives from this DJD collection through the remainder of the year. Follow our store, and feel free to reach out about any questions about the negatives in this collection.
Ships with extreme care in archival materials to ensure safe transit. Feel free to reach out with any requests or questions).
Combined shipping is available (with other glass negatives) Related Items: