Near view of bombproof tent in the advance line in front of Petersburg, Va., August 7, 1864.

The albumen silver print is a photographic printing process that was widely used in the 19th century. It involves coating paper support with a mixture of egg whites and salt, which creates a glossy surface to hold light-sensitive silver salts. The paper is then sensitized in a solution of silver nitrate, and exposed in a camera or under a negative. After exposure, the print is developed in a solution of gallic acid and silver nitrate, which reduces the silver salts to metallic silver and creates the final image. The albumen print process was widely used for commercial and fine art photography in the 19th century and produced high-quality, detailed images with a distinctive glossy finish.

united states history civil war 1861 1865 petersburg va siege 1864 1865 manuscripts and archives division united states sanitary commission records bombproof tent advance line united states sanitary commission creator o sullivan timothy h 1840 1882 photographer gardner alexander 1821 1882 photographer e h t anthony firm distributor philp solomons publisher archival materials albumen prints view bombproof tent advance line front petersburg condensed historical matter correspondence virginia high resolution civil war american civil war stereoscopic views new york public library

1861 - 1871

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