Albumen print

Albumen print

A silver based print made on a light sensitive layer of albumen (egg white) and silver chloride was the first, unrivalled, queen of photographic printing techniques. After all, most of European 19th century images are albumen prints and the technique itself was in use a long time after the introduction of the more modern silver gelatin prints. It was the albumen print that masters such as Cameron or Atget used.

Untoned images are characterized by lovely, warm browns and great tonality. Toned, they can became black or acquire the coldness of slate. The images are archival and will last well over a hundred years.

Remarkably, the albumen print enables the photographer to obtain a slightly glossy or fully matte surface.