Albumen prints (1835-1895)
Albumen prints (1850-1890s) are
probably the most common photographic print material of the 19th century. Most
historical photographic collections consist for the greater part of albumen
prints. The albumen paper was a printing-out paper used for contact printing of
the then popular collodion negative. Ordinary paper was coated with an emulsion
composed of light-sensitive salts of silver suspended in albumen (egg white).
Most prints are mounted on cardboard (and commonly refered to as card
photographs), because the paper is rather thin and curls easily. They can be
recognized by the cream coloured highlight areas and glossy surface. After 1855,
albumen prints were almost always toned with gold chloride, which enriched
their colour and increased their permanence.
The first sign of deterioration of albumen prints is that the highlights
become yellowish, eventually the whole print starts to fade and becomes yellow
or brown, which is due to the effect of light on the albumen layer. Display, use
and exposure to unfavorable circumstances, may cause serious damage within
approximately forty years. Poor quality of the paper will cause staining of the
albumen layer, while dryness and chemical changes can make the photograph crack
and curl. Attempts to remount a curled albumen print can be very dangerous for
the photograph. Albumen prints must be kept in the dark and protected by UV
filters when exposed to the public.
The photograph on the left is toned with gold.
Left: Besides discolourment this albumenprint has stained spots
and areas, causedby humidity and oxidation.
Right: This albumen print shows the sharpoutlines of a
passe-partout. The central part of the image has been exposed to light moreoften
than the edges. Both paper and photograph have possibly suffered fromwater
damage and "micro climate": theinfluence of humidity, dust and
otherdamaging effects in the air between thesurface of the photograph and
thepasse-partout.
