Mississippians

University of Mississippi 1861 Senior Class Book

A book created for the graduating class of 1861 highlights the buildings, faculty, and senior class at the University of Mississippi just prior to the start of the Civil War.

The images in the 1861 class book were created using the salt-paper process. A photographer treated the paper with a solution of sodium chloride (table salt) and then floated it on a silver nitrate solution, which forms a light-sensitive coating of silver chloride particles on one side. Then the photographer placed the paper directly beneath a negative in a printing frame and exposed it to sunlight. Finally, he rinsed and fixed the resulting contact print. Salt prints are mat prints and have a reddish brown color.

Also in eGrove: Classbook of 1861