1918 WWI Camp Devens MA Cavalry Remount Depot Horses US Army Glass Negative OOAK For Sale

1918 WWI Camp Devens MA Cavalry Remount Depot Horses US Army Glass Negative OOAK

Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured circa 1917–1918, documenting American mobilization during the First World War: an expansive, high-angle muster of hundreds of U.S. Army war horses and cavalry mounts lined in tight formation with Doughboy handlers and vintage military staff cars at Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts.

Accompanied by its original period tan kraft filing envelope and protective inner paper sleeve:

• The Outer Envelope Notation:

  \"At Camp Devens / During 1st War\"

• The Inner Paper Sleeve Notation:

  \"At Camp Devens During 1st War / Horses\"

Historical & Visual Content:

Established in 1917 to train New England\'s 76th Division and rapid-deployment units for the Western Front in France, Camp Devens maintained an enormous remount depot and veterinary staging area. While motorized equipment was emerging, horses and pack mules remained the indispensable tactical backbone for division artillery, supply transport, and cavalry reconnaissance across unpaved battlefronts.

Shot directly in-camera from an elevated embankment, the negative preserves remarkable panoramic and documentary depth:

• The Cavalry Column: Hundreds of groomed horses stand tied and ranked in parallel lines stretching deep toward the tree line, showing bridles, halters, and muscular forms.

• The Handlers: U.S. Army Doughboys dressed in high-collared wool tunics, campaign hats (Montana peaks), and breeches stand stationed at intervals along the lines maintaining order.

• Support Structures & Vehicles: Along the right foreground stands a large vertical-board camp stable/depot building with early soft-top military touring cars and staff vehicles parked along the slope.

Specifications:

• Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin 4x5 glass plate negative, exposed directly in a press camera circa 1917–1918.

• Archive Ephemera Included: Accompanied by the original vintage tan kraft filing sleeve and inner protective paper sleeve with authentic period handwriting.

Please Note: This listing is for the original antique glass plate negative, its period paper archive sleeve, and the inner protective paper slip only. Any positive photographic images shown in this listing are modern inverted digital scans provided solely as a visual representation to show what a finished photograph prints 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, fractures, or perimeter breaks. Emulsion across the primary horses, handlers, landscape, and vehicles is clean, sharp, and stable, exhibiting excellent contrast and tonal gradation. Shows only typical vintage handling silvering and minor emulsion loss confined strictly to the extreme outer border margins outside the primary image area. Accompanied by the original period kraft morgue filing sleeve and inner paper slip.

The glass plate negative measures 4 x 5In.
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