Albumen, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Congregation
This albumen print is of the St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Maple, Congregation in their “Sunday Finest,” ca. 1890 from the Charles A. MacNeil Fonds. The process for making albumen prints was first invented in 1850 and became known as the most popular positive photographic process of the nineteenth century. The process of making an albumen print relied on paper being coated with egg white (albumen) to make it smooth. A layer of silver nitrate was then applied and salt was added to make it light sensitive. The double coated paper was exposed to sunlight to produce a print. As the popularity of this method spread, studios invented their own procedures and recipes which featured different papers, chemicals and ratios. Albumen prints were a popular choice for portraiture until the 1890’s, still being used in some cases until the 1920’s. Today, they are commonly identified by the yellowing which has occurred due to the use of egg white and their smooth, high sheen luster surface.
City of Vaughan Archives: MG 68
Albumen, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Congregation
This albumen print is of the St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Maple, Congregation in their “Sunday Finest,” ca. 1890 from the Charles A. MacNeil Fonds. The process for making albumen prints was first invented in 1850 and became known as the most popular positive photographic process of the nineteenth century. The process of making an albumen print relied on paper being coated with egg white (albumen) to make it smooth. A layer of silver nitrate was then applied and salt was added to make it light sensitive. The double coated paper was exposed to sunlight to produce a print. As the popularity of this method spread, studios invented their own procedures and recipes which featured different papers, chemicals and ratios. Albumen prints were a popular choice for portraiture until the 1890’s, still being used in some cases until the 1920’s. Today, they are commonly identified by the yellowing which has occurred due to the use of egg white and their smooth, high sheen luster surface.
City of Vaughan Archives: MG 68