General George McClellan - Public domain dedication. Metropolitan Museum of Art 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.

charles deforest fredricks albumen silver prints north and central america united states charles deforest fredricks 1823 1894 general george mcclellan men portraits profiles generals american civil war purchase alfred stieglitz society gifts general george mcclellan prints 19th century high resolution albumen prints early photography metropolitan museum of art

1862

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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