Colour photographs from over 100 years ago

Most people do not associate colour photography with anything pre-1950s or 60s. Colour images I’ve seen in photo albums from before this era have generally been painted, and so to view good quality colour photographs from 100 years ago is simply breathtaking. The depth, reality and immediacy that a colour photograph brings out cannot be understated.

The name Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky probably doesn’t ring a bell to most people but this Russian photographic innovator born in 1863 was an amazing pioneer in colour photography. Using a camera he developed to take a series of three pictures in sequence, each through a different coloured filter. He was then able to reconstruct the colour of the scene by projecting all three pictures.

Between 1907 and 1915, Prokudin-Gorsky was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II to freely document the Russian empire. He travelled for years around the vast territory by train, armed with special permits and privileges that granted him access to restricted areas.

Above: Lifting bridge on the river Vytegra, dated 1909

Prokudin-Gorsky recorded his images on glass plates. It has only been in the last few years that we have finally been able to view his amazing body of work, reproduced from his original negatives. Although thousands of his images were lost or damaged, it is hard to believe that colour photographs of such amazing clarity were produced over a century ago! Learn more about the process he used here.

These photographs tell the tale of a long-lost pre-revolutionary Russian empire but look like they could have been taken yesterday. I’ve spent hours looking and admiring these spectacular works of art and genius.

Check out these links to see his photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prokudin-gorsky/

http://www.thespektator.co.uk/spg2.html