1920 Nobska Lighthouse Woods Hole Cape Cod Woman Keeper Glass Negatives (3) OOAK For Sale

1920 Nobska Lighthouse Woods Hole Cape Cod Woman Keeper Glass Negatives (3) OOAK

Complete three-negative (3) matching archive of original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique gelatin silver glass plate negatives captured circa 1920s: an extraordinary Cape Cod maritime and US Lighthouse Service documentation: Nobska Point Light in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, featuring the woman lighthouse keeper operating station beacon gear, keeping watch with a long nautical telescope beside brass Fresnel lanterns, and an architectural study of the 1876 cast-iron tower and keeper\'s dwelling.

Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft darkroom morgue filing sleeve with bold contemporary newsroom ink notation:

• The Sleeve Inscription:

  Name: Light House

  Order: Woodshole, Mass

Historical & Maritime Significance:

Positioned high on the southwestern tip of Cape Cod overlooking the junction of Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, Nobska Point Light (established 1828, current cast-iron tower erected 1876) guarded one of the most heavily traversed and fog-bound coastal waterways in the world. This photographic suite documents the authentic operations of the light station during the interwar era, capturing both the human dedication of its keeper and the technical apparatus used to guide schooners, passenger steamers, and fishing fleets through Woods Hole Passage.

The three plates encompass:

• Plate 1 — Servicing the Beacon: Intense portrait of the woman lighthouse keeper in a heavy woolen coat operating a manual geared hand-crank winch on a steel skeleton tower, hoisting a heavy cylindrical brass and glass Fresnel beacon lantern.

• Plate 2 — Lookout & Fresnel Lanterns: Full profile composition showing the keeper standing at the tower apron holding a brass spyglass telescope to her eye, scanning open waters toward the Elizabeth Islands. Two massive Fresnel cage lanterns rest on the turf in front of her, framed by the skeletal storm-warning signal mast, flags, and the gable-roofed fog signal building.

• Plate 3 — The Conical Tower & Keeper\'s Quarters: Imposing low-angle architectural portrait of the lined cast-iron tower showing its decorative Victorian ironwork brackets, circular portholes, curved glass lantern enclosure, and the attached stick-style keeper\'s house.

• Tonal Fidelity: Rich continuous-tone silver gelatin gradation rendering crisp iron plates, sea mist over the Sound, woven wool coat cloth, and brass lantern frameworks.

Specifications:

• Format: Set of three (3) heavy antique silver gelatin press glass plate negatives, exposed directly in a field camera circa 1920s.

• Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original period tan kraft darkroom morgue filing envelope.

Please Note: This listing is for the three (3) original antique glass plate negatives and their 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 finished photographs print like. No physical paper photographs, modern prints, or paper products of any kind are included with this purchase.

Condition:

Very Good to Excellent antique condition across all three plates. Every glass support is structurally sound, stable, and 100% complete with no cracks, fractures, or glass chips through any of the three bodies. The silver gelatin emulsions are clean, sharp, and tightly adhered, holding sharp focus across the equipment, architecture, and figures. Minor authentic handling wear confined to the outer rebate edges outside the primary image frames. Accompanied by the original period kraft morgue 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)