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1923 Boston Harbor Floating Dance Hall Jazz Era Custom House Glass Negative OOAK
Spectacular, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured circa 1920s by renowned Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones, documenting a long, two-tier floating dance hall excursion barge cruising through Boston Harbor directly in front of the iconic Custom House Tower skyline.
Captured during the height of the Roaring Twenties, this vibrant waterfront documentary photograph frames a quintessential Jazz Age pastime:
A sprawling, double-deck floating dance hall crowded with summer revelers and couples lining the open-air upper promenade railings and enclosed lower ballroom deck.
The distinctive pilot station and flying ensign pennants positioned at the bow as the pleasure craft glides across the harbor water.
A commanding architectural background featuring the historic Boston Custom House Tower rising majestically over the waterfront wharves, brick warehouses, and industrial skyline.
The negative exhibits superb first-generation optical sharpness, rich silver tonal separation, and fine architectural detail:
Crisp focal definition across the Custom House clock tower, observation deck, and classical stone pilasters.
Distinct crowd details, dance deck fenestration, and harbor wake churn.
Uncropped, direct camera-original exposure retaining deep shadow values and clear sky highlights.
Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin glass plate negative, measuring approximately 4x5 inches, exposed directly in Leslie Jones\'s press camera circa 1920s.
Archive Sleeves Included: Accompanied by two (2) original period paper darkroom filing sleeves containing contemporary handwritten newsroom records:
Outer tan kraft sleeve with contemporary ink notations:
\"Floating Dance Hall / Boston Harbor\" with added editorial note: \"great shot of Custom House (background)\".
Inner cream linen sleeve inscribed:
\"Floating dancing hall going down the harbor in front of Custom House\".
Please Note: This listing is for the original antique glass plate negative and its two (2) period paper archive sleeves only. Any positive photographic images shown in this listing are modern inverted digital scans provided solely as a visual representation to show what a finished photograph prints like. No physical paper photograph, modern print, or paper product of any kind is included with this purchase.
Condition: Good to Very Good antique condition. The heavy glass plate is structurally sound, stable, and completely intact with no cracks or through-breaks. The central emulsion is clean, sharp, and remarkably well preserved, retaining strong contrast throughout the vessel, water ripples, and the Custom House Tower skyline. Displays authentic period perimeter emulsion chipping/flaking localized along the bottom foreground border (well outside the boat and city skyline architecture) and light edge silver mirroring consistent with an authentic 1920s working newspaper press negative. Accompanied by both original annotated newsroom sleeves.
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)
