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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.
Felix Bonfils (1831-1885) was a French photographer who specialised in the Middle East and North Africa. Born in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, France, he trained as a painter before turning to photography in the 1850s. He opened his own studio in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1867 and travelled extensively throughout the region, photographing ancient ruins, landscapes and people. His images were highly regarded for their technical quality and artistic composition, and he won numerous awards for his work. Bonfils' photographs were widely distributed and helped to shape Western perceptions of the Middle East in the late 19th century. He died in Algeria in 1885.
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