Faking rain

[BetterSense]

193. BARON RETENIZ VON STILLFRIED. Rain Shower in the Studio, c. 1875.

How was this rain effect achieved? Is it something in-camera or just scrached in later?

[jnanian]

it looks like a combination print ...

[Anscojohn]

Certainly it is not rain. Emulsions would be too slow, methinks, to capture that. I would opt for parallel scratches on the plate.

[williamtheis]

Hollywood uses milk (yes, milk) in the movies to make rain visible!

[Mainecoonmaniac]

How about doing a pre-exposure of the film. A black cloth with holes with a light source then the photographer moves the camera or the cloth with the shutter open. Then the second exposure of the women with the umbrella?

[Jeff Kubach]

It doesn't look like real rain.

Jeff

[BetterSense]

Of course it doesn't, but I am wondering how it was faked. I like the picture too.

[arigram]

It really looks like scratches on the negative.

[Worker 11811]

I vote "scratches."

I bet he dragged a brush across the negative while the emulsion was still wet.

[Barry S]

I'm almost certain this is a wet plate and after fixing, the collodion emulsion is very soft. It seems like it would be simple to add fine scratches while the emulsion is very soft--maybe with a fine knife point, so the emulsion doesn't tear.