Albumen Prints were developed in 1850 and quickly became the photographer’s preferred print medium because of their fine resolution and extended tonal range. The albumen is made from the egg whites applied on glass as a medium for light-sensitive emulsions to make finely detailed negatives.

Also, albumen positive prints were made on paper or other substances coated with egg white, salt solution and sensitized with silver nitrate.They were usually printed from Collodion negatives, exposed to direct sunlight for 1 to 5 minutes on a bright overcast day, and processed in lit room. By the turn of the Century, many photographers and artists were hand coloring their albumen prints with oil.

Richard Daintree (1832–1878)
Bush Travellers, Queensland [between 1864–1870, painted in London by unknown artist c.1870]
oil on albumen photograph on canvas; 44.0 x 60.7 cm
Pictures Collection, Rex Nan Kivell Collection

Henry Louis Duperly
"Fire in the Galleries" Bogotá, Colombia
oil on albumen print

Henry Louis Duperly
"Fire in the Galleries" Bogotá, Colombia
oil on albumen print


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