Background
Eugen Albert was born in 1856 in Germany. He was the son of Josef Albert of Munich, who developed collotype reproduction.
Eugen Albert was born in 1856 in Germany. He was the son of Josef Albert of Munich, who developed collotype reproduction.
Eugen Albert studied at the universities in Munich and Heidelberg, receiving his doctorate in 1882.
Eugen Albert opened his own company, the Mimschner Kunst- und Verlagsanstalt / Dr. E. Albert & Co., to manufacture his first discovery - the isochromatic collodion emulsion for color reproduction.
Considered superior to the best dry plates for a number of years, it was later used to produce color screen negatives. Eugen Albert overcame the moiré pattern in 3-color printing, introduced the use of masking to correct the black plate in 4-color printing, and in 1902 constructed a prototype 4-color press. His other important discoveries included: the Albert effect (1899) - that a fully exposed collodion plate treated with nitric acid and washed will produce a positive image when re-exposed to diffused light and developed; a halftone plate process in which the screen was separate from the negative; a bimetallic plate for printing (1900); introduction of the lead matrix in electrotyping; and etching methods for photoengraved plates.