1924 Plymouth Notch VT Girls Kodak Camera President Coolidge Glass Negative OOAK For Sale

1924 Plymouth Notch VT Girls Kodak Cameras President Coolidge Glass Negative OOAK

Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured in the summer of 1924: a charming and culturally rich Roaring Twenties human-interest photograph taken in Plymouth Notch, Vermont: five fashionable young women in matching "HIKE" caps, knickers, and sweaters lined up in a meadow adjusting their vintage Kodak box and folding bellows cameras, waiting to snap a photograph of President Calvin Coolidge.

Accompanied by its original vintage tan kraft darkroom filing sleeve and detailed matching period handwritten archive slip:

• The Outer Envelope Inscription:

  "Girls Trying to get / Picture of / Pres. Coolidge"

  With a vintage corner notation reading: "Interesting"

• The Inner Paper Sleeve Inscription:

  "A Nice little picture of / some pretty girls trying / to get a picture of Pres. / Coolidge at Plymouth, / Vt. 1924."

Historical & Visual Content:

In the summer of 1924, following his sudden swearing-in by lamplight the previous year, President Calvin Coolidge spent his working summer vacation at his family's homestead in rural Plymouth Notch, Vermont. The tiny village became a national sensation, drawing press corps photographers and legions of enthusiastic tourists, summer campers, and amateur photographers hoping to catch a glimpse of "Silent Cal."

Captured directly on the field with extraordinary clarity and period charm by Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones:

• The Camera Gear: Each of the five women holds a different vintage personal camera: three adjust roll-film folding bed bellows cameras (such as the Kodak Autographic / No. 2 Pocket Kodak), one holds an upright Kodak box camera by its leather handle, and another carefully winds her film mechanism.

• 1920s Outdoor Fashion & "HIKE" Caps: All five women wear white canvas tourist/hiking caps with visors boldly printed with the word "HIKE" across the crown. Their outfits reflect the peak of 1920s women's sportswear and bobbed-hair flapper aesthetics:

  • Tailored belted tweed knickerbocker suits with patterned cuffs and riding-style lace-up boots.

• The Setting: Set against the rustic backdrop of a split-rail post, summer wildflowers, a rural farm building corner, and the soft rolling hillside of the Green data-path-to-node="16">

• Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin 4x5 glass plate negative, exposed directly in a press camera in the summer of 1924.

• Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft filing sleeve and matching period handwritten paper sleeve.

Please Note: This listing is for the original antique glass plate negative, its period paper archive sleeve, and the inner protective paper insert 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:

Very Good to Excellent antique condition. Heavy glass plate is structurally sound with no cracks, breaks, or fractures. The silver gelatin emulsion is remarkably crisp, clean, and stable throughout, exhibiting rich tonal contrast across the women's faces, clothing textures, camera hardware, and landscape. Displays only minor, authentic edge silvering and faint handling frilling strictly along the extreme outer borders outside the primary image area. Accompanied by the original period kraft morgue filing sleeve and matching period handwritten insert.

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)