PHOTOGRAPHS
Harrison, William Drooke
France (active 1860s - 1870s)
Forêt de Fontainebleau
c. 1865
Albumen print
7 5/16 x 7 5/16 in. (18.6 x 18.6 cm) image size; 17 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. (44.5 x 31.8 cm) mount board size
Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection, gift of Joseph and Elaine Monsen and The Boeing Company
FA 97.242

Albumen Print -- Invented in 1850, the albumen printing process employs a solution of egg whites and 2% ammonium chloride to bind light-sensitive silver salts to a paper substrate. The paper can then be contact printed using ultraviolet light. As the print ages, it displays a distinctive warm, often yellowish, tone. The albumen print by William Drooke Harrison seen here is paired with a carbon print he made from the same negative. The sharp contrast between the two images shows the differences in tonality that can be obtained by varying the choice of printing process. -- Label copy for Outta My Light! Picturing the Process of Photography, December 5, 2008 to May 3, 2009.