A collaborative research project was established to conduct an analytical study of Durieu’s Album, part of the George Eastman House collection. Two non-destructive analytical methodologies, XRF and FTIR, were used to investigate Durieu’s early (~1855) toning and varnishing experiments. The album contains 119 photographs, 72 of which are toned with platinum, 23 with gold and 17 toned using a combination of both metals. Five photographs were left untoned. Three types of varnishes based on shellac, beeswax and albumen or gelatin were also identified on some of the photographs in the album. The character of so-called image transfers found on some of the album pages was also investigated analytically. The results obtained in the study are discussed here in relation to the development of early photographic processes and artists’ techniques.