Who Knew? - Salt Prints
A really nice gentleman named Ray came in today. We got to chatting about his various collections and he said, "what do you know about Salt Prints." I answered truthfully, "Salt prints? Not a thing...." Needless to say, off to the computer I went. 
Turns out Salt Printing is one of the earliest methods for printing images from photo negatives. An Englishman named William Henry Fox Talbot invented the process in the early 1830's. However, most Salt Prints were done between 1850 and 1865.
Salt Prints can be matte or shiny, cool tones or warm tones. Depending on how the photographer finished the print, they can very sensitive to light, warping, crazing or staining. Most are affixed to a backing.
I found some interesting sites relating to Salt Prints. If you're interested in early photography and would like to learn more, they are worth a visit.
Lomography - has loads of info on how to make Salt Prints.
Harvard University - has good information on identifying Salt Prints.
LiveAuctioneers - has a nice selection of very interesting and collectible Salt Print images with past auction prices realized.
Needless to say, but I will anyway. If you have or find one of those rare salt prints that bring the big dollars, by all means bring it on in!
Images shown were found on the websites listed above.
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