The dimensions of this antique glass photographic plate are 3.25" x 4". This is a high-quality, authentic and historical photographic plate from the 1900s to 1920s.

This period includes WWI - a watershed event in the history of photography. During the early 20th century, glass plates like this one were a far better medium than film for research-quality imaging because they were extremely stable and less likely to bend or distort, especially in large-format frames for wide-field imaging. The following quote is from the ñInternational Encyclopedia of the First World Warî: During the First World War professional and amateur photographers prepared to document events as war approached. Europe was extensively photographed by commercial press photographers.

They documented the events using medium format glass plate cameras optimized for press use and hoping to record a unique personal experience. During WWI, hopes for detailed photographic coverage were quickly disappointed. Both the armed forces and the civilian authorities sought to limit photographersÍ access to events as much as possible. In the very early days of the War secrecy was a bit of an obsession and cameras were used for espionage. But with time, the Belgian Army, desperate to garner international support, allowed Allied and neutral civilian press photographers considerable freedom to photograph the armyÍs attempts to resist the German advance. The result was one of the first wartime demonstrations of the power of photography as propaganda. Now, these photographic plates documenting WWI are rare and highly collectable.