Silver Bromide Prints

Silver bromide prints, also referred to as gelatin silver prints, were first commercially available in 1874. They quickly became the most popular photographic printing process until the '60s, when color photography became widely available.

No single figure can be credited with the invention of the silver bromide print. However, it is commonly considered the most important printing process of the twentieth century.

Silver bromide prints were used for a variety of applications from fine art to documentation and snapshots. Because of this, silver bromide was the principal form of visual documentation in the 20th century. Many people can see silver bromide prints firsthand when going through a family album from the '30s or '40s.

Quick Facts

• Ansel Adams, possibly the most well-known landscape photographer of the 20th century, worked extensively with silver bromide prints
• Edward Weston's "Nude" sold at Sotheby's New York in April 2008 for $1,609,000
• Richard Avedon's "Dovima with Elephants" sold at Christie's Paris in November 2010 for $1,151,976