Harbour of Hongkong; St Johns Cathedral Hongkong; Carriage; Tub Mending, North of China

Attributed to John Thomson (British, Edinburgh, Scotland 1837–1921 London)

The albumen silver print is a photographic printing process that was widely used in the 19th century. It involves coating paper support with a mixture of egg whites and salt, which creates a glossy surface to hold light-sensitive silver salts. The paper is then sensitized in a solution of silver nitrate, and exposed in a camera or under a negative. After exposure, the print is developed in a solution of gallic acid and silver nitrate, which reduces the silver salts to metallic silver and creates the final image. The albumen print process was widely used for commercial and fine art photography in the 19th century and produced high-quality, detailed images with a distinctive glossy finish.

john thomson albumen silver prints attributed to john thomson harbour hongkong johns cathedral st johns cathedral hongkong carriage tub prints 19th century high resolution ultra high resolution albumen prints early photography postcards metropolitan museum of art chinese art

1869

Metropolitan Museum of Art

http://www.metmuseum.org/

Public Domain Dedication (CC0)