Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured on March 16, 1930: an exceptional Great Depression-era human-interest and maritime documentary photograph: craftsman James Butler standing proudly on a wooden ladder beside his handmade custom houseboat conversion, constructed atop the wooden hull of the catboat "Lillian" at a Freeport Street boatyard in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Accompanied by its original vintage tan kraft darkroom filing sleeve with full period provenance:
The Sleeve Inscription:
"James Butler & his / Cat Boat house- / boat "Lillian" / Freeport St. Dor. / Mar. 16, 1930"
With a vintage lower corner notation reading: "Interesting"
During the opening months of the Great Depression, Boston's coastal waterways and tidal inlets became hubs of inventive maritime folk architecture. Resourceful mariners and waterfront residents often salvaged retired Cape Cod catboats and working sloops, modifying their beamy, shallow-draft hulls with tall wooden cabin houses to serve as low-cost floating residences and weekend retreats along Dorchester Bay.
Captured on location with superb sharpness and atmospheric detail by Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones:
James Butler: Posed standing on the rungs of a rough timber work ladder, wearing a wool newsboy cap, cardigan sweater, work trousers, and shoes, exuding classic 1930s working-class character.
The Catboat Houseboat "Lillian": The wide, shallow-draft lapstrake hull of the former catboat sits propped on wooden blocking and skids. Butler has framed and erected a custom, full-headroom tongue-and-groove vertical beaded-board cabin house complete with sash windows, a hinged entry door, a rooftop chimney pipe, and open rear cockpit shelving crowded with paint cans, brushes, and shipwright tools.
The Freeport Street Waterfront: In the background lies the working tidal shoreline of Freeport Street in Dorchester, capturing drydock timber shoring, scrap lumber, and neighboring boat hulls awaiting the spring tides.
Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin 4x5 glass plate negative, exposed directly in a press camera on March 16, 1930.
Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft newspaper 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.
Very Good to Excellent antique condition. Heavy glass plate is structurally sound with no cracks, breaks, or fractures. The silver gelatin emulsion is remarkably clean, sharp, and stable throughout, capturing crisp textural definition across the weathered hull planking, beaded cabin siding, ship tools, and portrait features. Displays only minor, authentic edge silvering strictly along the extreme outer borders outside the primary image area. Accompanied by the original period kraft morgue filing sleeve.