Skip to main content

Image / Toddler Richard Burt was burnt after sticking a cartridge in the family …

Have a question about this item?

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title
Toddler Richard Burt was burnt after sticking a cartridge in the family car's socket, Los Angeles, 1935
Date Created and/or Issued
July 22, 1935
Publication Information
Los Angeles Times
Contributing Institution
UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library
Collection
Los Angeles Times Photographic Archives
Rights Information
US
Description
Access to this collection is generously supported by Arcadia funds.
When baby Richard Burt was left alone in the car to play he found one of his father's .22 caliber cartridges in the side-pocket of the car and pushed the cartridge against the electrical contact points in the empty dash-light socket, which caused it to explode, but only injuring Richard's finger with some powder burns. The bullet from the shell had been melted.
Photograph appears with the article, "Tiny Blast Perils Baby," Los Angeles Times, 20 July 1935: A1.
Richard, wearing nothing but a diaper, puts his fist against the dashboard. A woman's legs are seen sitting in the driver's seat, possibly his mother.
Text from newspaper caption: Little Richard Burt, 16 months of age, found a cartridge in his father's automobile yesterday and pushed into the dashlight connection. It exploded. He laughs as he shows how it was done.
Handwritten on negative: 107 107 Dick Burt-16 mo 7/19/35
Text from negative sleeve: 11259 - Dick Burt-16 mo - Near Accident 7/19/35 [stamped:] Jul 22 1935
Type
Image
Format
b&w nitrate negative
Identifier
uclamss_1429_7630
ark:/21198/zz002dfbz6
Language
No linguistic content
Subject
Automobiles--American--California--Los Angeles
Accidents--California--Los Angeles
Infants--California--Los Angeles
Burt, Richard Orville b. 1934
Source
Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.

Explore related content on Calisphere: