<![CDATA[30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives.]]>30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives.

I specifically chose the "flawed" ones (blurry/underexposed) thinking that maybe they were never originally printed, and therefore I might be the first person to see these remarkable images.

I’m sharing one a day for the next 10 days. Clues suggest these were taken in Western Massachusetts approximately 120+ years ago. High res versions are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyosborn/albums/72177720298855306/

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/topic/ae73001b-39cd-4620-ab27-43c04eae6b40/30-years-ago-a-friend-paid-me-for-a-gig-with-late-19th-century-glass-negatives.RSS for NodeMon, 13 Apr 2026 18:43:17 GMTSat, 21 Mar 2026 16:15:06 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:55:00 GMT]]>@jeremyosborn ooh that explains it and is also astonishing. So much resolution. o.o

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/rowyn/statuses/116284725718463772https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/rowyn/statuses/116284725718463772Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:55:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:12:57 GMT]]>@rowyn This is what's so cool about old 4x5 glass negatives, compared to a "standard" 35mm film negative, they have approximately 15× more image area (resulting in about 10–20× more usable detail!)

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116280313581370543https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116280313581370543Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:12:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:38:43 GMT]]>@jeremyosborn Wow, that's spectacular, especially for a "flawed" one! There's so much detail.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/rowyn/statuses/116279943039306269https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/rowyn/statuses/116279943039306269Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:38:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:59:59 GMT]]>@small_cypress Right? A rarity for the time when everyone typically had to stand still for photos. There weren't really "candid" moments until years later when film and shutter speeds could capture them.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116272712876187537https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116272712876187537Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:59:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:52:43 GMT]]>@jeremyosborn I'm having fun going through your flickr! I love the smirk on the fellow in the telegraph office. It's cool to see actual personality come through

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://indieweb.social/users/small_cypress/statuses/116272684295962799https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://indieweb.social/users/small_cypress/statuses/116272684295962799Sun, 22 Mar 2026 11:52:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:31:34 GMT]]>@jessamyn yes those are similar indeed, really interesting! I agree about leaving them uncropped, the silvering, light streaks, etc all add to the overall aesthetic!

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116269534054930632https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116269534054930632Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:31:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:12:02 GMT]]>@jeremyosborn I left a note about these on Flickr also, they are lovely. We scanned some very-similar era images for my town's historical society. I should probably crop some of them but I love all the cool edging details.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/randolph_vermont/albums/72177720330269388/

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://glammr.us/users/jessamyn/statuses/116269221317027897https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://glammr.us/users/jessamyn/statuses/116269221317027897Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:12:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:50:37 GMT]]>@jeremyosborn

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/stevendbrewer/statuses/116268193407912604https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/stevendbrewer/statuses/116268193407912604Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:50:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:15:06 GMT]]>1/10 full image

I'm guessing this is a family portrait of a mother and daughter?

In addition to the main subject matter, part of the joy I have with these images is examining the little details tucked away in the background: the wallpaper pattern, the pump organ, the stack of paper in the corner of the room, something about them really makes feel like I'm traveling through time.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116268053730397217https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116268053730397217Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:15:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 30 years ago, a friend paid me for a gig with late 19th-century glass negatives. on Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:15:06 GMT]]>1/10 detail

Here's a cropped detail from the above 4x5 glass negative.

I think this is a masterful and captivating portrait. For me, there's a youthful optimism visible in the expression of the (presumed) daughter as she's looking off into the distance and a world-weary expression of the (presumed) mother on the right looking right into the camera.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116268053741277705https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.art/users/jeremyosborn/statuses/116268053741277705Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:15:06 GMT