1927 President Coolidge Awards Charles Lindbergh Medal Glass Negative OOAK For Sale

1927 President Coolidge Awards Charles Lindbergh Medal Glass Negative OOAK

Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique gelatin silver glass negative captured on June 11, 1927: a monumental photographic artifact of American presidential and aviation history: President Calvin Coolidge formally presenting the nation's first Distinguished Flying Cross to Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., following his triumphant return from the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.

Accompanied by its original vintage tan kraft darkroom morgue filing sleeve bearing contemporary newsroom documentation:

• The Sleeve Inscription:

  Name: Pres Coolidge pins

  Order: medal on

  Remarks: Lindberg at / Washington DC

Historical & National Significance:

Three weeks after Charles A. Lindbergh touched down at Le Bourget in Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis, President Calvin Coolidge dispatched the cruiser USS Memphis to bring the 25-year-old aviator home. On June 11, 1927, an estimated crowd of over 100,000 gathered at the Washington Monument grounds for an official ceremony of state. Addressing the nation over the radio networks, President Coolidge lauded Lindbergh's modesty and courage before pinning the very first Distinguished Flying Cross ever struck onto his lapel. This camera-original press negative captures the exact moment of decoration at the floral-draped podium, surrounded by national dignitaries and news cameras.

Visual details preserved in the silver gelatin emulsion:

• The Medal Presentation: President Calvin Coolidge in a dark formal suit leaning forward to fasten the medal onto Lindbergh's jacket lapel, while a youthful Lindbergh stands at attention.

• Dignitaries & Reviewing Stand: First Lady Grace Coolidge in a light summer dress and wide-brimmed cloche hat applauding at left beside Lindbergh's mother, Evangeline Lodge Land Lindbergh, flanked by naval commanders in dress whites and cabinet secretaries.

• Press Batteries & Floral Bunting: Elevated background newsreel cameras mounted on wooden tripods, Western Electric carbon microphones arrayed across the speaker's lectern, and elaborate floral wreaths centering the Great Seal of the United States with the banner: "48 HOME COMERS / One for every State".

• Tonal Fidelity: Superb continuous-tone silver gelatin tonal gradation rendering rich fabric weaves, crisp military insignia, facial likenesses, and crisp lettering.

Specifications:

• Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin press glass negative, exposed directly in-camera on June 11, 1927.

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

Please Note: This listing is for the original antique glass 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 finished photographs print 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, breaks, or chips through the glass body. The silver gelatin emulsion is exceptionally clean, sharp, and firmly adhered across the composition, retaining needle-sharp optical focus across the faces of Coolidge, Lindbergh, and the assembly. Authentic unexposed handling borders remain preserved along the outer glass rebate margins. 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.
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