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1916 Boston Police Arrest Reds Roxbury Anarchists Glass Plate Negative OOAK
Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative taken in 1916 by renowned Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones, documenting the high-profile street arrest and custody line of radical \"Reds\" and socialist labor agitators by Boston police officers in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
Captured during the height of pre-WWI political unrest and early Red Scare tensions in Boston, this intense street documentary photograph shows a line of plainclothes suspects held tightly under armed police custody along an urban brick storefront sidewalk. Flanking the detainees are high-ranking Boston Police officers wearing historic high-domed custodian helmets, double-breasted long wool frock coats, leather duty belts, and chevron rank insignia. One detained man, sporting a bruised cheek and looking directly toward the camera, touches his jaw while flanked by escort officers and plainclothes detectives in fedoras and derby hats.
The plate features extraordinary focal sharpness, period social realism, and deep historical documentation:
Boston Police Department officers in authentic pre-1920 tall helmet patrol uniforms and winter overcoats with chevron sleeve rank stripes.
Clear, tense facial portraits of early radical movement figures and trade union/socialist detainees.
Period urban streetscape background showing Roxbury brick architecture and commercial awning signage (\"MAY...\").
Direct first-generation camera-negative exposure exhibiting superior tonal range, deep shadow blacks, and crisp highlight details.
Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin glass plate negative, measuring approximately 4x5 inches, exposed directly in Leslie Jones\'s press camera in 1916.
Archive Sleeve Included: Accompanied by its original period tan kraft darkroom filing sleeve bearing contemporary newsroom calligraphy in bold ink:\"Reds Active in Roxbury 1916\".
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 to Excellent antique condition. The heavy glass plate is structurally sound, stable, and completely intact with no cracks, fractures, or breaks. The emulsion is exceptionally sharp, displaying clean tonal definition across the police uniforms, faces, and brickwork. Shows standard authentic edge silver mirroring and minor perimeter darkroom processing marks along the outer borders consistent with an authentic 1916 working newspaper press negative. Accompanied by the original annotated kraft storage 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)
