Salt Prints at Harvard

January 17, 2018
Benjamin D. Greene
"Benjamin D. Greene" by Seaver and Kingman, 1861? from the Botany Library, Harvard University Herbaria

Images from the Gray Herbarium Archives are included the Weissman Preservation Center’s new website, Salt Prints at Harvard. The site offers an overview of salt prints found in libraries, archives, and museums throughout the University. Introduced by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1839, the salt print process represents the first negative-to-positive photographic technique. Harvard’s collections include some of the earliest photographic images created and represent a seminal chapter in the early history of the medium. Through a series of initiatives, the Weissman Preservation Center seeks to enhance our understanding of these rare photographs and to ensure their long-term preservation.