Popular Photographic Print Processes: Albumen Prints

E. & H.T. Anthony (Firm), publisher. Major Gen'l Geo. B. McClellan. Albumen print on carte de visite mount, c1861. LC-DIG-ppmsca-08368

Dates in general use: 1850-1895

Description: Albumen prints were the most common type of photographic print made during the nineteenth century. They are characterized by a smooth, shiny surface, which is the result of a coating of egg whites (albumen). The color can vary a great deal depending upon the treatment given during processing, but most often it is purplish-brown.

Further information and examples

• Prints & Photographs Online Catalog:
  • view online examples
  • Thesaurus for Graphic Materials term: Albumen prints [view term - includes related terms]
• Albumen Photographs: History, Science and Preservation
  http://albumen.stanford.edu/
  
• Antiques Roadshow, Antiques Speak
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/glossary/

View Photographic Print Processes Introduction and Table of Contents