New Zealand in Autochrome

Beautiful colour photographs from New Zealand, 1913-1915. These autochromes, taken by avid amateur photogrpaher Robert Walrond, mostly depict Auckland and area. The Public Domain Review has an excellent, detailed article discussing autochromes in New Zealand from the same collection, with a particular focus on those by Walrond. The article includes more still lives and portraits; I've chosen outdoor views. 

The autochromes come from the collections of Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand, in Wellington, which is terrific museum all round. 

Te Papa (A.018181) Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds.

Albert Park, 1915, Auckland, by Robert Walrond. Source

Te Papa (A.018203) Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds.

Mount Hobson from Mount Eden, 1913, Auckland, by Robert Walrond. Source

Te Papa (A.018191) Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds.

Tree fern, 1915, Auckland, by Robert Walrond. Source

Autochromes of Nature

The autochrome-- the first commercially available colour process (1907-1932)-- and nature met wonderfully. The autochrome required long exposure times, 30 seconds to a minute, so a naturally static view was helpful. Moreover, if you now have a way to take pictures in colour, well, what better to use that on than the capture of bright flowers and the fresh green of leaves? Nature scenes are among the most popular of amateur autochromes at all levels, and it's easy to see why. 

George Eastman House

Roses in a vase, ca. 1915. Source

George Eastman House

Scene with water and trees, ca. 1910. Source

George Eastman House

The Matterhorn, Switzerland, ca. 1915. Source

More Life in Early Colour

I am off to George Eastman House today to look at early colour photographs, so it seemed like a good time to have another set of them here. These are autochromes, the first commercially viable means of photographing colour. Soon I hope to go back and add more information about processes and photographers to these posts, but for now, an autochrome is a colour positive on a glass slide, commerically produced from 1907-1932. And they're lovely. 

If you missed the earlier autochrome posts: The Art of Early Colour, Life in Early Colour, and World War One in Colour Part One and Two. 

Mostly from the George Eastman House, though a few from the Bibliotheque de Toulouse, and one each from the Swedish National Heritage Board, and the State Library of New South Wales. See source links for specifics. 

State Library of New South Wales

Sisters, c. 1909, Killara, Australia. Source

George Eastman House

A nurse and child, c. 1907-1932, by Charles C. Zoller. Source

George Eastman House

Nurses and "Uncle Sam" at a WWI support parade, US, c. 1917, by Charles C. Zoller. Source

Life in Early Colour

It's amazing how easy it is to picture the past in black and white. Even when we know of course it was as colourful as today, it's still striking to come across the shots that demonstrate this. Somehow colour makes it feel so much nearer. World War One in colour has a different effect than World War One in black and white. 

We've seen artistically arranged early colour photographs; today, everyday life from c.1900s to 1920s in full colour. From the collections of George Eastman House.

A woman and boy in a chair, c. 1915. Source

A woman and flowers, c. 1915. Source

Children and teachers, c. 1910. Source

The Art of Early Colour

Autochromes, the main process of colour photography for the first few decades of the 20th century, present colour in a gentle, muted kind of way-- not unlike many painters in preceding centuries. It was not long before photographers used this look to full advantage, creating beautiful photographs deliberately evocative of paintings... what artistry, eh? 

Woman in satin dress holding mirror by an unidentified photographer, c. 1915. Source

Man with stein, unknown photogapher, c. 1915. Very Dutch Old Master. Source

Still life by H. Wormleighton, c. 1915. Source

Genre scene, woman in kitchen peeling vegetables, by Dr. W. Simon, c. 1910. So Vermeer-like. Source 

Two women seated on bench, by B. J. Falk, c. 1915. Source

Plant with blue-violet flowers, by C. E. Wheelcock, c. 1915. Source

Dancer in Egyptian-style costume, by an unidentified photographer, c. 1915. Source

Woman in blue dress sitting by fireplace, by L. Silberstein, c. 1915. Source

Woman in a pink cape and bonnet by an unidentified photographer, c. 1915. Source

Woman in red dress by an unidentified photographer, c. 1915. Source

Woman in floral silk robe, by Charles Spaeth, c. 1915. Source

Woman making American flag, by Mrs. Benjamin F. Russell [aghh, wish we had HER name!], c. 1910. Source

Costumed man examining jewellery, by Dr. W. Simon, c. 1910. Source

Still life study, bowl of fruit behind gold frame by Dr. W. Simon, c. 1910. Source [How great is this??]

First World War In Colour, Part Two

Another series of colour photographs of World War One. For more details and the first set, see here. I will say again, though, how truly remarkable I find these images. The colour somehow makes it feel more real, more present. The people who had to deal with this war weren't any different than we are; these photographs are a striking reminder of that. 

Allied biplane. Source

French and Allied soldiers. Source

Mealtime. Source

Newspaper stand. Source

Peeling carrots. Source

Senegalese soldiers (Senegal was a French colony at the time). Source

A shelter in the trenches. Source

A view of a village shattered by war. Source

World War One... In Colour!

Who ever would have had any idea there were colour photographs of the First World War? It's striking enough to see colour from the Second! But, in the 1910s, colour photography was just beginning to be slightly more than an experiment, and a few photographers (almost all French) did in fact use it for wartime photographs. I'm still so amazed to see these photos-- the feel of a colour documentary photograph, as opposed to a black and white one, is so strikingly different. Silly as it may be, the colour makes it seem more real somehow, closer. It reminds us the world around these people was just like ours, which makes the contrast in content all the starker. 

These photographs come originally from the French National Library, though I have collected and linked them from a site dedicated entirely to World War One Color Photographs, for ease (and because, I should note, these are now public domain images). All are from 1917. 

Men in a front line trench, 1917. Source

Gunners amidst ruins. Source

French officers and soldiers. Source

A home in ruins, with Michelin ad. Source

 A group of soldiers resting. Source

A pair of Australian soldiers (of course!) Source

So, so striking, isn't it?