Description:

RUTH SNYDER: THE FIRST PHOTO OF AN EXECUTION
Incredibly rare period original press photo, and one of the most famous press photographs of all time, an 8 x 10 in. b/w image of murderer RUTH SNYDER (1895-1928) at the moment of her electrocution at Sing Sing Prison on Jan. 12, 1928. The image, which bears only a tiny corner crease, shows appropriate age toning at the margins on verso, some aged glue remnants, and a pencil file notation. Fine condition. The New York Daily News published the photograph with a headline to match: 'DEAD!' As New Yorkers shuffled past newsstands on the morning of January 13, hundreds of thousands stopped in incredulous horror. The tabloid's front page showed this same image as Snyder, strapped to the electric chair with a black hood over her head, had 2,000 volts course through her body. The photo was taken by Daily News photographer Tom Howard who had a single-shot camera strapped to his leg and took the image with a long exposure just as the electricity started to flow. Snyder and her lover Henry Judd Gray had been convicted in the brutal murder of Snyder's husband in order to collect his life insurance proceeds. Gray followed Snyder to the chair minutes later.

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June 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000