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April 11, 1925. "J. Lang, Columbia Country Club," partnered with a light leak. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
It's not a light leak. His out-of-the-frame doubles partner was just brilliant!
It may just be natural deterioration, but what a cool, ethereal image it produced.
I suspect deliberate retouching either on the negative itself, or on an enlarged inter-negative, for graphic effect. Notice the etching of highlights on the figure and the retouching of the shoes.
[That's not retouching. It's where the darkest parts of the negative are starting to turn opaque -- often due to oxidation or mold or both. On this glass plate you can see mold dotting the surface where the colonies start out, then jump to the thickest (most exposed) parts of the emulsion, where the most nutrients are. A common affliction of old glass negatives. The result is a kind of posterized effect where the lightest parts of the image get even lighter. Not really what a retoucher would do. - Dave]
Was that environmental or, as I suspect, a light leak in the camera?
[Like the caption says, a light leak. - Dave]
Stunning display of light and movement.
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