Archive of 11 Successive Photographs Documenting One Automobile Crash and Rollover in a Rural Hillside, c. 1940s to 1950s

Automobile Crash photo archive

Photograph

Automobile accident photo archive, circa 1940s to 1950s, documenting a severe rollover in which a passenger car left the roadway and came to rest inverted on a steep, brush covered hillside. Eleven successive views record the wreck from the road above, at intermediate distance, and at close range, preserving the vehicle’s position, damage, and surrounding terrain. The sequence gives unusually sustained coverage to a single rural crash scene rather than treating the wreck as an isolated snapshot.

Photo archive of 11 likely silver gelatin photographs, circa 1940s to 1950s. The photographs show the overturned automobile from multiple sides, its undercarriage and wheels exposed, with several wider views establishing the considerable distance between the roadway and the point where the car stopped. Closer photographs record crushed body panels and the collapsed passenger compartment; one interior view shows a human arm amid the damaged cabin, while another image includes a man standing beside the wreck.

By the late 1940s, photography had become an established part of formal traffic accident investigation: FBI police training material in 1947 specifically addressed photographic evidence in accident work, and 1950 guidance included photographing and measuring the scene among standard investigative procedures. FBI: Law Enforcement Bulletin The repeated changes of distance and viewpoint here closely parallel that documentary concern with position, damage, and scene context. Light edge wear, minor curling, and occasional handling marks. Overall in good condition. A concentrated photographic record of a serious midcentury automobile rollover from landscape view to damaged interior.

Item #23903

Price: $285.00