Privat Dennis Sullivan, Company E, Second Virginia Cavalry

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.

reed brockway bontecou albumen silver prints north and central america united states reed brockway bontecou 1824 1907 privat dennis sullivan second virginia cavalry company e american civil war soldiers men portraits gift of stanley b burns m d and the burns archive privat dennis sullivan company virginia cavalry prints 19th century high resolution ultra high resolution albumen prints early photography metropolitan museum of art paintings

1865

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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