Early cigarette manufacturers took advantage of new technology to promote their brands. Photographs of baseball players and actresses were popular collectibles given Victorian smokers when they bought cigarettes. By the 1880's, commercial photographers had found a way in which they could make multiple high quality paper prints from their glass negatives. It was discovered that albumen, the sticky substance in egg white, could be used to coat thin photographic paper. Albumen sealed the paper's fibers and adhered the light-sensitive silver nitrate solution. The resulting photographs are a warm brown color with good tonal depth and contrast. These photos were then glued to a heavy cardboard backing with the end result looking much like the 'keystone kop' spoof that I have pictured below. Eggs crack, and around moisture so do albumen prints. It's not a good idea to try and clean these old-timers.