albumen print

The albumen print was invented in about 1850 by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard (1802–72), and was prevalent until about 1890. An albumen print is created by floating a thin sheet of paper in a bath of beaten egg white and salt, making the paper’s surface glossy and smooth. Once dried, the paper is then sensitised with a layer of silver nitrate before being dried again, this time in the dark. The now light-sensitive paper is then pressed against a glass or waxed paper negative and exposed to sunlight for a few minutes or hours, allowing an image to form on the paper. The print is then fixed in a solution and washed thoroughly. Albumen prints can be toned during processing for colour variations. After 1855 they were often toned with gold chloride in order to enrich their colour and increase their permanence.

Albumen prints can be distinguished by the yellow or yellowish-brown stains that appear in the whites and highlight areas. They are also often adhered to a backing board due to the fragile nature of the paper used for their production.