Photo Types - Albumen Prints

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Luc Picard pic

 

Genealogy tip for the day: Photo Types – Albumen Prints

As you may guess by the name, albumen is what the white of an egg is called. It is used in paint, (called tempera paints) and in washes used to prepare surfaces. This is where it comes in for photography. Albumen is used to coat the surface of paper instead of the salt that was previously used. It toned the paper with a gold tone because of the chloride in the mixture. Then when the picture was made, it turned a purplish brown color.

Louis Desire Blanquart-Evard invented the process in 1850, using a negative and creating a positive print on the albumen paper. This was a much more stable medium. 80% of the pictures that have survived from the 19^th century pictures are albumen prints. They are easy to identified, because the surface will have cracks across the picture and it is mounted on stiffer paper or cardboard. This is probably the main reason why it survived longer as the mounting help keep the picture from being torn.

A popular format was called the carte de visite because of Andre` Adolphe Eugene Disde`ri’s picture of Napoleon III. This made the format an overnight sensation and became very popular all across Europe and the world. The backing was the size of a visiting card, thus the name.

The picture was 2 ¼ by 3 ½ - about the size of our wallet pictures today, and had about a quarter inch border all around the edge. I assume that these must have been the forerunner of our wallet picture size, since they are about the same size. (I don’t know this as a fact but it looks like an obvious deduction to me!) J

These remained popular into the 20^th century, even though a larger card, called a cabinet card, came out in the early 1870’s with the same albumen prints on the surface and was widely popular as well.

This is a Carte de Visite with double pictures. These were used to put in a viewer and you could see it in 3D. If you can focus beyond your screen as you stare at these two, a third "copy" will pop up in the middle. When you look at that one, it will appear to be in 3D. Give it try and see what you can do. Have Fun!

“History is who we are; Genealogy is who I am” sg

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The Private Marriage of Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn

Today in History

1533		Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn.
1787		Small farmers in Springfield, Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, revolt against tax laws. Federal troops break up the protesters of what becomes known as Shay's Rebellion.
1846		The dreaded Corn Laws, which taxed imported oats, wheat and barley, are repealed by the British Parliament.
1904		Two-hundred coal miners are trapped in their Pennsylvania mine after an explosion.
1915		Alexander Graham Bell in New York and Thomas Watson in San Francisco make a record telephone transmission.
1918		Austria and Germany reject U.S. peace proposals.
1919		The League of Nations plan is adopted by the Allies.
1929		Members of the New York Stock Exchange ask for an additional 275 seats.
1930		New York police rout a Communist rally at the Town Hall.
1943		The last German airfield in Stalingrad is captured by the Red Army.
1949		Axis Sally, who broadcasted Nazi propaganda to U.S. troops in Europe, stands trial in the United States for war crimes.
1951		The U.S. Eighth Army in Korea launches Operation Thunderbolt, a counter attack to push the Chinese Army north of the Han River.
1955		Columbia University scientists develop an atomic clock that is accurate to within one second in 300 years.
1956		Khrushchev says that he believes that Eisenhower is sincere in his efforts to abolish war.
1959		American Airlines begins its first coast-to-coast flight service on a Boeing 707.
1972		Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to U.S. Congress, announces candidacy for president.
1972		Nixon airs the eight-point peace plan for Vietnam, asking for POW release in return for withdrawal.
1984		President Reagan endorses the development of the first U.S. permanently-manned space station.
Born on January 25
1759		Robert Burns, Scottish poet ("Auld Lang Syne," "Comin' Thru the Rye.")
1882		Virginia Woolf, English author (Mrs. Dalloway and Orlando).
1933		Corazon Aquino, president of the Philippines. Robert Burns

Word for the Day

damask

PRONUNCIATION:

(DAM-uhsk)

MEANING:

noun:	1. A reversible fabric with a pattern woven into it, used for table linen, upholstery, etc.
	2. Short for damask rose.
	3. The color of damask rose: grayish red or pink.
	4. Short for damask steel.
	5. Wavy markings on such steel.
adjective:	1. Made of or resembling damask.
	2. Having the color of damask rose.
verb tr.:	1. To decorate or weave with richly-figured designs.
	2. To inlay a metal object with gold or silver patterns; to gild.

ETYMOLOGY:

-From Damascus, where this fabric was first produced. Earliest documented use: 1325.

USAGE:

"The richly coloured damask-covered walls do evoke the palaces for which many of the pictures were intended."
Getting Away from Cultural Spinach; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 28, 2008.

Quote for the Day

There are two kinds of light -- the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures. -James Thurber, writer and cartoonist (1894-1961)

 

Today’s Recipe

Soups for Cold Winter Days

Midwinter Vegetable Soup

  

Sometimes a vegetable soup is just another vegetable soup and I have posted others in the past. But this one is different than the standard vegetables and beef stock, so I am including it here. Also, we tried the Tortellini Florentine soup last night that I put on here January 13^th, and it turned out real nice. The Tortellini was hard to find, but the taste was delicious.

This is a warming, hearty, and simple recipe that turns all your odds and ends of winter vegetables into a giant pot of nourishing soup. You can prep the veggies in order as the soup cooks, and if you don't have any stale bread to add, you can do without -- but it does lend the soup a satisfying robustness. Let your kids add their own cheese and a splash of olive oil from a small pitcher: they'll love feeling involved in their dinner.

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
kosher salt
1 large bunch chard, washed well
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 pound potatoes, diced (peel them if you like)
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and diced
1 small green cabbage, quartered, cored, and shredded
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with their liquid
2 14-ounce cans of chickpeas with their liquid
6 cups water
4 or 5 1/2-inch slices of baguette (or the equivalent amount of another crusty bread)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.     In a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté, stirring, while you prepare the chard.

2.     Pull the leaves off the stems, finely slice the stems and add them, along with the garlic, to the pot. Stack and bunch the leaves, sliver them into fine ribbons, and set them aside.

3.     Prepare the remaining vegetables in order -- potatoes, carrots, cabbage -- adding each to the pot and continuing to sauté them as you go.

4.     Add the chard last, and when all the vegetables are wilted in the pot, add the paprika and stir for a minute or so.

5.     Now add the tomatoes with their liquid, the chickpeas with their liquid, the water, and another 2 teaspoons of salt and turn up the heat. When the pot boils, turn the heat down and simmer the soup gently for 40 minutes.

6.     Meanwhile, toast the bread in a 350ºF oven for 10 minutes, until it is dry to the touch. Tear the bread into small pieces and sprinkle the vinegar over it.

7.     After the soup has cooked, stir in the bread (reserve some for garnish if you like), turn off the heat, and leave it for 15 minutes.

8.     Stir again, taste for salt, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a grating of fresh Parmesan.

ENJOY!

Now You Know!