Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard in 1869, albumen print, by himselfTheHypaethral Temple, Philae, byFrancis Frith, 1857; medium: albumen print, original size 38.2×49.0 cm; from the collection of theNational Galleries of ScotlandJohn Moran's albumen print ofLimon Bay, High Tide., 1871, albumen silver print, original size 7 15/16 × 10 5/8 in. (20.2 × 27 cm),J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California
Thealbumen print, also calledalbumen silver print, is a method of producing aphotographic print usingegg whites. Published in January 1847[1] byLouis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, it was the first commercial process of producing a photo on a paper base from anegative,[2] previous methods—such as thedaguerreotype and thetintype—having been printed on metal. It became the dominant form of photographic positives from 1855 to the start of the 20th century, with a peak in the 1860–1890 period. During the mid-19th century, thecarte de visite became one of the more popular uses of the albumen method. In the 19th century,E. & H. T. Anthony & Company were the largest makers and distributors of albumen photographic prints and paper in the United States.[3]
A piece ofpaper, usually 100% cotton, is coated with an emulsion of egg white (albumen) and salt (sodium chloride orammonium chloride), then dried. The albumen seals the paper and creates a slightly glossy surface for thesensitizer to rest on.
The paper is then dipped in a solution ofsilver nitrate and water, which renders the surface sensitive to UV light.
The paper is then dried in the absence of UV light.
The dried, prepared paper is placed in a frame in direct contact under a negative. The negative is traditionally a glass negative withcollodion emulsion, but this step can be performed with a modernsilver halide negative, too. The paper with the negative is then exposed to light until the image achieves the desired level of darkness, which is typically a little lighter than the end product. The progress of the print can be checked during the exposure, as it is a printing-out process, and the image can be seen taking form as it is being exposed to light. Though direct sunlight was used long ago, a UV exposure unit is often used contemporarily because it is more predictable, as the paper is most sensitive toultraviolet light.
A bath ofsodium thiosulfate fixes the print's exposure, preventing further darkening.
Optionalgold orseleniumtoning improves the photograph's tone and stabilizes against fading. Depending on the toner, toning may be performed before or after fixing the print.
Because the image emerges as a direct result of exposure to light, without the aid of a developing solution, an albumen print may be said to be aprinted rather than a developed photograph.
The table salt (sodium chloride) in the albumen emulsion forms silver chloride when in contact with silver nitrate. Silver chloride is unstable when exposed to light, which makes it decompose into silver and chlorine. The silver ion (Ag+) is reduced to silver (Ag) by the addition of an electron during the development/printing process, and the remaining silver chloride is washed out during fixing. The black parts of the image are formed by metallic silver (Ag).
^Newhall, Beaumont (April 1955)."60,000 Eggs A Day"(PDF).Image, Journal of Photography of George Eastman House.IV (4). Rochester, N.Y.: International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House Inc.:25–26. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved20 July 2014.
^Welling, William. Photography in America (1978 & 1987)
Marshall, F.A.S.Photography: the importance of its applications in preserving pictorial records. Containing a practical description of the Talbotype process (London: Hering & Remington; Peterborough, T Chadwell & J Clarke, 1855).
