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1928 Graf Zeppelin LZ-127 Airship Over New York City Glass Plate Negative OOAK
Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) vintage 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate newsroom copy negative produced in October 1928, documenting the German commercial airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin soaring high above New York City during its historic first transatlantic voyage to the United States.
Photographed from an escort aircraft above Manhattan and the East River, this stunning aerial composition captures the slender 776-foot rigid dirigible gliding over the dense urban grid, riverfront shipping docks, and industrial waterfront with a major suspension bridge spanning the background. The transatlantic crossing in October 1928 was a global sensation: under the command of Dr. Hugo Eckener, the Graf Zeppelin carried 20 passengers and mail from Friedrichshafen, Germany, to Lakehurst, New Jersey, circling New York City to thunderous acclaim and ticker-tape welcomes below.
The high-altitude aerial perspective captures extraordinary historic detail:
The German dirigible LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin rendered in full profile, showing its long duralumin envelope, engine cars, and control gondola.
The expansive urban street grid, row houses, and factory complexes of late-1920s New York stretching to the horizon.
East River shipping piers lined with steamships, tugs, and deep-water docks leading back toward the suspension bridge towers.
Format: Vintage silver gelatin glass plate copy negative, produced directly in the newspaper darkroom from wire press photography for morning publication in October 1928.
Archive Sleeve Included: Accompanied by its original period tan kraft filing sleeve, bearing contemporary darkroom pencil notation: "Graf-Zeppelin over New York City 1928".
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 missing corners. Emulsion retains sharp midtones, excellent contrast, and crisp aerial detail across the city and dirigible. Displays characteristic period newsroom border masking/tape lines and mild authentic edge silver mirroring along the outer perimeter, consistent with an active working 1928 press archive plate. Accompanied by the original annotated kraft paper 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)
