Exterieur van Buckingham Palace in Londen 1873 - 1885

This small photograph shows the exterior of Buckingham Palace in London, and was made using the albumen print process. The image is sepia-toned, a direct result of the materials used: paper coated with albumen, or egg white, and then silver nitrate. This process, popular in the 19th century, allowed for sharp detail and a wide tonal range. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the paper and the subtle variations in tone, both characteristic of albumen prints. The production of albumen prints was not just a matter of chemistry. It was also a labor-intensive process involving coating, sensitizing, exposing, and developing the print, often carried out by skilled technicians in photographic studios. The final product offered a tangible, reproducible image that fueled the growing market for visual representations of architecture, portraits, and landscapes, and a new way of seeing the world. In its own way, photography democratized how people could access art, challenging the traditional hierarchies between fine art and everyday production.