1932 Armed Police Guard East Cambridge Court Shotguns Glass Negative OOAK
Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured in November 1932: a powerful Depression-era law enforcement documentary image: an armed detail of police officers equipped with long guns and full cartridge belts standing guard outside the East Cambridge Courthouse.
Accompanied by its original vintage tan kraft darkroom morgue filing sleeve bearing contemporary newsroom documentation:
Historical & Law Enforcement Context:
During the early 1930s, the Middlesex County Superior Court in East Cambridge was the venue for numerous high-stakes criminal trials involving organized robbery syndicates, armed payroll heists, and gang-related violence. To prevent escape attempts or outside intimidation, heavily armed details of local and county officers were deployed to maintain perimeter cordons around the courthouse steps, holding rooms, and corridors.
Captured on location with exceptional lens clarity across the armed line by Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones:
The Armed Lineup: Six law enforcement figures stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the wooden threshold. Four uniformed patrolmen in high-collar double-breasted and single-breasted wool tunics, eight-point caps, and silver breast shields hold service shotguns and rifles with barrels grounded at attention.
Firearm Accoutrements: Broad woven Mills-style web cartridge belts packed with ammunition loops wrap visibly around the officers\' waists. To the far left stands a plainclothes detective or county sheriff in a heavy double-breasted overcoat and soft fedora.
Atmospheric Courthouse Setting: Positioned outside an annex entrance or guard shack, with clapboard and shingle siding, a brick foundation, and an observer peering around the building corner in the background.
Specifications:
Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin 4x5 glass plate negative, exposed directly in a press camera in November 1932.
Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft darkroom morgue filing envelope.
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 finished photographs print like. No physical paper photograph, modern print, or paper product of any kind is included with this purchase.
Condition:
Fair to Tentative antique condition due to delicate emulsion state. The physical glass plate is structurally sound and intact with no breaks, fractures, or cracks through the glass support. However, the silver gelatin emulsion is VERY loose, flaking, and lifting across the upper section (visible along the top background and roofline), making the surface extremely fragile and condition tentative. The primary figures of the armed officers, uniforms, firearms, and cartridge belts remain intact and sharp on the plate.
Packaging Note: To prevent further movement or loss of the delicate loose emulsion, this plate has been packed with exceptional professional archival care (stored flat with non-abrasive acid-free protection and rigid exterior sandwich reinforcement) to preserve it as best as humanly possible during handling and transit. Accompanied by its 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)
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