La Fazenda

In doing my research on Nelson Evans, I've gained an appreciation for photographs of the first quarter of the 20th century.  Although the silver gelatin process was in common use for black and white pictures up until 50 years ago, those from a century back have a quality that is missing from later examples.  Quite simply, they glow.  While I have many examples in my collection, I've chosen this one of Louise Fazenda because, well, it's Louise Fazenda!

 

I'm not sure how well it will show up here, but the lacing on her dress practically sparkles on the actual photo.  How much control Evans had over this type of effect is difficult to say, but it is more pronounced in his earlier photos.  BTW, notice the window on the left side of the photo.  It appears to be cut from another photo and added here, probably covering up a blown-out section where the sunlight was coming in.  A bit awkwardly done, but not bad for a hundred years ago.