1930s US Navy Stearman Biplane Air Formation Negatives (3) Agfa Safety Film OOAK
Set of three (3) original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original vintage 4x5 silver gelatin safety sheet film negatives captured circa late 1930s: a breathtaking air-to-air military aviation sequence: a squadron of ten (10) United States Navy Stearman primary training biplanes banked in a dramatic, soaring stepped-echelon flight formation high above the rural landscape.
Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft darkroom morgue filing sleeve bearing contemporary newsroom documentation:
The Sleeve Inscription:
Name: Planes
Historical & Aeronautical Significance:
During the massive expansion of American naval aviation leading up to World War II, flight training centers across the country rigorously drilled cadet aviators in precision close-order formation flying. Flying open-cockpit Stearman biplanes (Boeing N2S / Model 75 series), naval aviators mastered synchronized maneuvers before transitioning to advanced fleet combat craft. Air-to-air photographs capturing a full ten-plane string echelon in tight vertical alignment are exceptionally rare from this period.
Captured from an accompanying camera ship with razor-sharp aerial fidelity by Boston Herald-Traveler staff photojournalist Leslie Jones:
The Flying Formation: A spectacular stacked formation of ten biplanes ascending diagonally across the frame. Detail in the foreground plane resolves the pilot and student in tandem cockpits, radial engine cylinder banks, spinning two-blade propeller, fixed main landing gear, rudder balance horns, wing struts, and bold fuselage markings reading \"22\" and \"U.S. NAVY\" alongside the naval aviation squadron emblem.
The Sequence: Three sequential, slightly shifting in-flight exposures capturing the formation as the planes hold tight station against air currents and shifting cloud banks.
Terrain & Tonal Range: Looking down past the aircraft wings to the patchwork of cultivated valley farms, tree lines, roads, and distant mountain silhouettes under broken skies.
Film Stock: Authentic Agfa safety sheet film featuring factory edge-notch codes and lower border rebate markings reading \"AGFA SAFETY FILM\".
Specifications:
Format: Set of three (3) vintage 4x5 silver gelatin safety film negative sheets, exposed directly in an aerial press camera, circa late 1930s.
Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft darkroom morgue filing envelope.
Please Note: This listing is for the three (3) original vintage film 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.
Condition:
Very Good to Excellent vintage condition. All three safety film sheets are flat, flexible, and completely sound with no tears, creases, or vinegar syndrome degradation. The silver gelatin emulsions are remarkably clean, sharp, and stable throughout, capturing pristine air-to-air focus across all ten aircraft. Normal, faint handling marks confined to the outer unexposed film rebate borders. 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)
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