Stuffed
and crushed inside of an old shoe box, was this amazing print. It is
called an "albumen print." I've included an official definition from the
American Museum of Photography here.
"Albumen prints outnumber
any other type of photographic positive made during the nineteenth
century. They have a sepia color and slightly glossy surface. Thin
sheets of paper were first coated with egg white and salt, then
floated on silver nitrate to make them sensitive to light. The image
is created by printing under a negative in sunlight. The finished
picture is fixed, washed, and often gold toned before mounting.
Invented by Louis Desire Blanquart-Evrard of France in 1850. " The American Museum of Photography
The twin girls depicted in the old print are Emma and Josephine Diem, relations of my husband.
When these twin girls grew older they both married two twin brothers.
Josephine, was called Aunt Phinie by younger generations of Wehmuellers
and Niermans. It took a random find on the back of a photograph for me
to make the connection between the two names. I also was not aware that
these two children were twins even though they do look very much alike. I thought I'd
never get the confusing information surrounding this old family figured
out. But perseverance does pay off! |
| Look at what I found crushed and shattered inside an old shoe box. I decided to clean it up a bit in Photoshop and the results are below. |
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| I could hardly believe my luck! Not only was it very old but it was an amazing piece of photograph history. |
