Normally, we'd expect old photos to be black and white. But these stunning photos taken at the turn of the 20th century reveals that color photography has been around for a lot longer than you think. Before 1907, anybody who wanted a color photograph had to have the image colored in by a professional colorist who had to color in the photos using different dyes and pigments.
Two French brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière changed all that using a technique called Autocrome Lumière. Using dyed grains of potato starch and light-sensitive emulsion, they were able to produce vibrant photos without adding colorization. Even though the process was difficult to manufacture and was also somewhat expensive, it was still a popular technique among amateur photographers.
While the brothers revolutionized the world of color photography, Kodak later took things to a whole new level with the invention of Kodachrome film, created in 1935. This came to be a lighter and more convenient alternative than the Autochrome Lumière which became obsolete soon after. As we have come to see, Kodachrom was later overtaken by the rise of digital photography - this method was stopped in 2009. Nevertheless, these more advanced methods of taking photos would not have been possible without the work of Auguste and Louis Lumière.
Here are some stunning century-old color photographs using their groundbreaking technique.
Click on images to enlarge
1. Lady in red, 1913
2. Sisters in a garden tying roses together, 1911
3. Flower street vendor, Paris, 1914
4. Woman musing, 1910
5. Daydreaming, 1909
6. The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, 1914
7. The Grenata street army, 1915
8. Two children on the hillside, 1925
9. The Moulin Rouge, Paris, France, 1914
10. A girl holds a doll next to soldiers' equipment in Reims, France 1917
11. Young girl amidst Marguerites, 1912
12. One of the first colored pictures ever taken by Louis Lumière, 1907
13. Charlie Chaplin, 1918
14. Woman smoking opium, 1915
15. Two girls in oriental costume, 1908
16. Outdoor market Paris, France, 1914
17. Autochrome of Mark Twain, 1908
18. Air balloons, Paris, France, 1914
19. Van Besten painting in his garden, 1912
20. Woman and girl by a brook, 1910
