R. M. Lewis : Philadelphia - Public domain dedication image

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 sanitary commission manuscripts and archives division united states sanitary commission records united states sanitary commission creator peirce d s photographer archival materials albumen prints lewis philadelphia condensed historical matter correspondence pennsylvania high resolution new york public library

1861 - 1871

New York Public Library

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication")