Salted paper prints cover a wide range of dates and were made by different photographers using many different techniques. There is no real clear distinction between salted paper and matte albumen prints, and many salted paper prints actually contain albumen, as well as various other materials. The term 'albumen print' is generally confined to prints with a gloss surface, and which show the typical surface quality and cracking of albumen prints.
Key indicators:
matte finish (always)
warm brown or purplish brown tone (almost always)
visible fading in parts of image (almost always)
visible yellowing in parts of image (almost always)
If the print has the above characteristics and the age of the print is known or can be deduced, then the following applies:
before 1850 – almost certainly salted paper
1850 - 1890 – either salted paper or matt albumen
In general prints that show deep brown-black tones tend to be described as matte albumen, and those lacking these as salt prints. However it is possible to make strong prints without the use of albumen, and distinctions made on this basis are at best speculative. There seems to me to be little point in any case in trying to make them.
Other plain paper printing techniques were also in during the second period of salted paper use, including platinum (1873) and kallitype (1899) as well as a number of hybrid methods, making identification of prints from this era difficult, unless information is provided.
Fortunately most modern salted paper prints will have the process name written on the reverse of the print.
