Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich 1870 - 1883

This albumen print of the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich, by E. Savioz, captures not just a building, but a moment in the history of image-making. The albumen process, popular in the 19th century, involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate. The result is this sepia tone and soft, slightly blurred image, typical of the era. The production of these photographs was labor-intensive. Egg whites had to be prepared, the paper carefully coated, and then exposed using large format cameras. The resulting prints, like this one, were not just artistic endeavors, but also products of a specific time in the history of labour and skill. Looking at it now, we see the work involved, and it makes us appreciate the photograph all the more.