Inventions of Photography – Chapter Six - The Albumen Print

A note from the filmmakers:

It’s amusing to consider that while most photographic processes utilize complex chemical formulas, the key component to the albumen print was the chicken. More specifically, the albumen extract from the chicken egg. It’s almost comical today to consider that 19th century photographic houses were also, in effect, chicken farms. Tempting as it was, we refrained from making any ‘chicken and the egg’ references.

Beyond its strange ingredients, the albumen print emphasizes a key theme of this series: The invention of a process that allowed the expansion of the photographic medium making prints more widespread and democratic.