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1934 Boston Navy Yard Explosion Disaster Building Ruins Glass Negative OOAK
Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured in December 1934: a gripping naval and industrial disaster photograph: the devastating interior and structural aftermath of a powerful explosion that ripped through a facility at the Boston Navy Yard (Charlestown), collapsing massive concrete walls and burying the shop floor in heavy blast debris.
Accompanied by its original vintage tan kraft darkroom morgue filing sleeve with newsroom notation:
Historical & Forensic Analysis:
During the mid-1930s, the Boston Navy Yard served as one of the nation's premier naval shipbuilding and repair centers, operating heavy machine facilities, dry docks, and electrical shops. Industrial hazards involving pressurized gas tanks, boilers, and volatile shop materials carried severe risks. In December 1934, a violent explosion tore through this Navy Yard building, blowing out load-bearing masonry, severing structural steel supports, and shattering interior machinery.
Captured on location amidst the wreckage by Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones:
The Structural Devastation: A dramatic perspective looking into the blown-out building shell. Massive reinforced concrete columns and exterior brick pilasters are fractured and shifted off plumb, with jagged cracks running through the lintels and cornices.
Blast Debris & Heavy Ruin: The shop floor is covered in deep heaps of shattered plaster, crumbled cinder block, twisted electrical conduit, dislodged iron pipe fittings, and sheared timber framing.
Background Yard Details: Through the gutted window frame and missing wall section, structural steel trestles and industrial railroad rolling stock stenciled "AIR" remain visible against the outdoor yard bulkhead.
Tonal Definition: Exceptional silver gelatin tonal gradation, balancing bright daylight pouring through the blast opening against deep architectural shadows inside the ruin.
Specifications:
Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin 4x5 glass plate negative, exposed directly in a press camera in December 1934.
Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft newspaper 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:
Very Good antique condition. Heavy glass plate is structurally sound with no cracks, breaks, or fractures through the glass. The silver gelatin emulsion is clean, sharp, and stable throughout, capturing pinpoint clarity across the cracked masonry, structural steel, and debris field. Displays only minor authentic edge silvering and faint handling wear strictly along the extreme outer borders outside the primary image area. 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)
