Cornell University Library Curational comment from "Dawn's Early Light: The First 50 Years of American Photography", October 20, 2011 - May 4, 2012, Hirshland Exhibition Gallery in Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University
By 1864, when this photograph was taken, the use of albumen paper was commonplace in photography. This photographer nevertheless chose the older salted paper process because its mat surface was more receptive to paint. This pair of photographs shows that the quest for verisimilitude sometimes involved not only adding color but also placing the subject in a naturalistic setting.
