1925 Rockingham Park Board Track Car Races Salem NH Glass Plate Negative OOAK For Sale

1925 Rockingham Park Board Track Car Races Salem NH Glass Plate Negative OOAK

Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured in 1925, documenting one of the most fabled and perilous eras in American motorsport: the starting lineup and grid of open-wheel AAA Championship racing cars on the legendary Rockingham Park wooden board speedway in Salem, New Hampshire.

The period kraft filing sleeve is inscribed in vintage pencil:

"Car races"

Historical Context:

Constructed in 1925, the 1.25-mile wooden oval at Rockingham Park (often called the "Salem Speedway") was an engineering marvel made from millions of board feet of 2x4 lumber. Built specifically for high-speed AAA Championship auto races, the venue drew tens of thousands of spectators to watch national racing icons—including Peter DePaolo, Tommy Milton, Harry Hartz, and Ralph DePalma—pilot supercharged Millers and Duesenbergs at speeds exceeding 120 mph with minimal safety margins.

This breathtaking, wide aerial press perspective captured from the elevated grandstand records the entire racing spectacle with razor-sharp definition:

• The Starting Grid & Paddock: A long, ordered double queue of sleek 1920s open-cockpit single-seater race cars lined up across the wooden planks, surrounded by mechanics, riding mechanics, and officials in coveralls and overcoats.

• The Board Track Surface: Outstanding clarity showing the vast expanse of parallel wooden timbers, pit wall signage (including pit boards marked with driver names like "HARTZ"), and trackside officials.

• The Massive Crowds: Dense sea of spectators in period fedoras and trench coats packing the grandstand walkway in the immediate foreground, while the sprawling infield is crowded with thousands of spectators, parked vintage automobiles, and infield tents stretching toward the back data-path-to-node="13">

• Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin glass plate negative, exposed directly in a press camera circa 1925.

• Archive Sleeve Included: Accompanied by its original vintage tan kraft darkroom filing sleeve, bearing authentic period pencil notation: "Car races".

Please Note: This listing is for the original antique glass plate negative and its period paper archive sleeve 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 antique condition. Heavy glass plate is structurally sound with no cracks, fractures, or structural glass chips. Emulsion is remarkably clean, sharp, and stable across the entire grandstand crowd, track surface, and racing machines. Minor handling silvering and typical vintage plate edge wear along the extreme outer borders outside the image area, consistent with a working 1920s newspaper archive plate. Accompanied by its original period kraft studio filing sleeve.

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)