The quest to capture the world in color through photography is a journey spanning over a century. While black and white photography dominated the early years of this medium, the desire to reproduce the vibrant hues of life fueled relentless innovation. So, When Were Colored Photos Invented? The answer isn’t as simple as pinpointing a single date, but rather understanding a gradual evolution from early experiments to practical processes.
Early attempts at color photography, preceding what we might consider true “color photos,” were based on the principle of additive color. These methods, dominant in the initial explorations, relied on mixing red, green, and blue light to create a spectrum of colors. However, these additive processes, while groundbreaking for their time, came with significant limitations.
The Drawbacks of Early Additive Color Photography
Additive color techniques, though pioneering, faced several hurdles that hampered their widespread adoption and practicality:
- Light-Blocking Filters: A fundamental aspect of additive color was the use of filters to isolate red, green, and blue light. These filters inherently block a considerable amount of light, leading to inefficiencies.
- Long Exposure Times and Dense Transparencies: The light blockage necessitated lengthy exposure times, making it challenging to photograph moving subjects. Furthermore, the resulting color photographs were often very dense transparencies, requiring specific viewing conditions.
- Transmitted Light Viewing Only: Color images produced through additive methods could only be viewed using transmitted light. This meant they needed projectors or specialized viewing devices, preventing the creation of color prints on paper for general consumption.
The Subtractive Revolution: A More Practical Approach
The theoretical foundation for a more practical approach to color photography was laid out by French physicist Louis Ducos du Hauron in his 1869 book, Les couleurs en photographie, solution du problème (Color Photography, Solution to the Problem). Du Hauron proposed the concept of subtractive color reproduction. This method involved using color separation negatives to create three positive images, each dyed in a complementary color: cyan, magenta, and yellow.
Subtractive color works by utilizing dyes that absorb, or “subtract,” specific primary colors from white light. Cyan dye absorbs red light, magenta absorbs green light, and yellow absorbs blue light. By layering these complementary colors accurately, a vast range of colors can be reproduced. Crucially, subtractive color uses dyes or pigments, unlike additive methods that rely on colored filters.
A significant advantage of subtractive color is its efficiency with light. White is represented by the absence of dye, or clear areas, allowing for much brighter images compared to additive methods where white requires light to pass through multiple filters. Even more importantly, subtractive color is compatible with reflected light, paving the way for color photographs on paper, a crucial step towards accessible color photography.
The Development of Subtractive Color Processes and Cameras
The practical implementation of subtractive color photography unfolded along two primary paths: the development of specialized cameras for capturing color separation negatives, and the quest for effective methods to create and layer the three complementary colored positive images.
For stationary subjects, like still life arrangements, a standard camera could be adapted for color separation. Photographers simply needed to change the color filter in front of the lens between exposures. To streamline this process, devices like the “repeating back” were invented. These mechanisms allowed for the rapid sequential changing of filters.
Science Museum Group Collection
Repeating backs ranged from simple sliding plate holders with three filters to more sophisticated clockwork-driven mechanisms capable of capturing three negatives in just a few seconds.
However, photographing moving subjects, especially portraits, presented a greater challenge. Even the fastest repeating backs were often too slow to prevent motion blur between the separate exposures. This need spurred the development of “one-shot” cameras. These ingenious devices were designed to capture all three color separation negatives simultaneously. One-shot cameras employed systems of mirrors and prisms to split the incoming light into three beams, each directed to a separate plate holder with a different color filter. Notable examples of successful one-shot camera designs include the Jos-Pe, Bermpohl, Klein, and Mirkut cameras.
In conclusion, while early experiments with additive color processes marked the beginning of color photography, it was the invention and refinement of subtractive color processes that truly paved the way for practical and accessible color photography. The question “when were colored photos invented?” is best answered by recognizing it as a gradual evolution, with the late 19th century laying the theoretical groundwork and the early 20th century seeing the practical realization of subtractive color photography, bringing us closer to the vibrant color images we know today.
