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Antique 1921 Glass Plate Negative Peek-A-Boo Bathing Girls Revere Beach MA OOAK
Original circa 1920–1921 camera-original glass plate negative capturing a dynamic action shot of fourteen flapper chorus girls splashing arm-in-arm through the low-tide surf at historic Revere Beach, Massachusetts.
This image documents a classic early 1920s theatrical publicity stunt promoting the touring burlesque musical revue Peek-A-Boo (produced on the Columbia Wheel circuit by Jean Bedini), which played celebrated extended runs in Boston at the historic Gayety Theatre on Washington Street:
Promotional Stage Costumes as Swimwear: The women charge through the waves wearing matching dark woolen one-piece bathing suits, each custom-lettered across the chest with the show’s title, \"PEEK-A-BOO\", flanked by white utility belts, tight headbands, and period swim turbans.
Theatrical Publicity History: Tour producers regularly arranged outdoor press events at Revere Beach for Boston newspapers (The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, and The Boston Post) to stir buzz, draw seaside crowds, and drive box-office sales.
Composition & Motion: High-speed outdoor press photography captures laughing expressions, raised hands, splashing surf, and reflective tidal wet sand with exceptional lens clarity.
Please Note: This listing is for the original antique glass plate negative only (along with the original vintage envelope shown). Any positive photographic images shown in this listing are modern inverted digital scans provided solely as a visual representation to show what a finished print would look like. No physical paper photograph, modern print, or paper image of any kind is included with this purchase.
Included Paper Artifact:
Housed in its original vintage tan kraft photographer\'s sleeve with red-stained edges, inscribed in period fountain pen: \"Bathing Girls\", along with pencil notations \"Great Group Photo\" at the lower right.
Condition & Preservation:Glass plate is structurally sound with intact glass and no cracks. The gelatin silver emulsion is remarkably sharp and well-preserved with excellent tonal gradation, showing only minor, expected edge wear and tiny perimeter chips typical of period handling.
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)
