Albumen print

A print made using albumen paper, popular for photographic printing between 1850 and 1900. Thin paper was coated with a layer of egg-white (albumen) containing salt and sensitized with a silver nitrate solution, then printed using daylight under a negative. The resulting paper had a smooth surface with a fine sheen. Albumen prints could be toned with a gold solution which gave a rich purplish-brown colour to the image and reduced the risk of fading.

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The old gardener Simpson....and his wife, by George Washington Wilson, 1854 - NPG P22(14) - © National Portrait Gallery, London

The old gardener Simpson....and his wife
by George Washington Wilson
1854
NPG P22(14)

Isabella Mary Beeton (née Mayson), by Maull & Polyblank, 1857 - NPG P3 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Isabella Mary Beeton (née Mayson)
by Maull & Polyblank
1857
NPG P3

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, by Robert Howlett, 1857 - NPG P112 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Isambard Kingdom Brunel
by Robert Howlett
1857
NPG P112

Charles Dickens, by (George) Herbert Watkins, 29 April 1858 - NPG P301(20) - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Charles Dickens
by (George) Herbert Watkins
29 April 1858
NPG P301(20)

Alice Pleasance Liddell, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), July 1860 - NPG P991(8) - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Alice Pleasance Liddell
by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)
July 1860
NPG P991(8)

Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt, by David Wilkie Wynfield, 1860s - NPG P79 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Bt
by David Wilkie Wynfield
1860s
NPG P79

Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Sarah Davies), by Camille Silvy, 15 September 1862 - NPG Ax61380 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Sarah Davies)
by Camille Silvy
15 September 1862
NPG Ax61380

George Frederic Watts, by Julia Margaret Cameron, circa 1863-1868 - NPG P125 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

George Frederic Watts
by Julia Margaret Cameron
circa 1863-1868
NPG P125

John Brown; Queen Victoria, by W. & D. Downey, 1868 - NPG P22(4) - © National Portrait Gallery, London

John Brown; Queen Victoria
by W. & D. Downey
1868
NPG P22(4)

Robert Louis Stevenson and family, by J. Davis, circa 1891 - NPG x4630 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Robert Louis Stevenson and family
by J. Davis
circa 1891
NPG x4630

(Joseph) Rudyard Kipling, by Elliott & Fry, 1907 - NPG x11810 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

(Joseph) Rudyard Kipling
by Elliott & Fry
1907
NPG x11810

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