Trio of original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negatives captured in September 1931: an intense and somber Great Depression-era disaster and forensic documentary series: the catastrophic aftermath and police/fire marshal investigation of a fatal rural home explosion near Marlborough (Marlboro), Massachusetts, that claimed the lives of three children.
Accompanied by its original period tan kraft darkroom morgue filing sleeve with exact archival notation:
The Sleeve Inscription:
Explosion Kills 3 children and one seriously injured - Nr. Mlborg, Mass / Sept. 1931
During the early 1930s, home heating systems, kerosene stoves, and unrefined utility gases in rural New England occasionally led to catastrophic structural detonations. When this violent blast ripped through a family dwelling on the outskirts of Marlborough in September 1931, the shockwave blew out exterior walls and collapsed the upper floors into the cellar, sparking regional headlines and an immediate forensic inquiry by local authorities and state inspectors.
Captured on the scene with remarkable narrative depth and textural sharpness by Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones:
Plate 1 — Wide Establishing Survey: An expansive forensic view showing the full scope of destruction. The entire center and roof of the two-story timber-frame home have collapsed into splinters, exposing charred blackened wall studs, an intact cast-iron yard water pump, and a somber line of over a dozen neighbors, town constables, and detectives in trench coats inspecting the foundation ruins.
Plate 2 — The Architectural Skeleton: A medium study framing the sheared, vertical gable wall and charred second-story window opening still precariously standing above the wreckage. A state fire marshal in a rubberized wet-weather cape and a fedora-wearing investigator examine burned floorboards beside a twisted wire-mesh children's cot.
Plate 3 — The Intimate Investigation: A tight, dramatic close-up showing two lead investigators standing in the heart of the cratered blast zone directly beside a blackened cellar entryway. One officer in rubber boots and a protective rain cape speaks with an investigator in a wool sweater and flat cap holding a notebook, framed by the skeletal remains of collapsed rafters and bedding.
Format: Trio of three (3) heavy antique silver gelatin 4x5 glass plate negatives, exposed directly in a press camera in September 1931.
Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft newspaper 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.
Very Good to Excellent antique condition. All three heavy glass plates are structurally sound with no cracks, fractures, or perimeter glass breaks. The silver gelatin emulsions are exceptionally clean, sharp, and stable throughout, capturing deep, nuanced contrast between the bright autumn sky, charred wood grain, and foreground soil. 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.