The first color photograph was created in 1861 by Thomas Sutton. This groundbreaking image of a tartan ribbon was made possible by a three-color method developed by physicist James Clerk Maxwell. Maxwell’s process involved capturing multiple images through red, green, and blue glass plates, understanding that combining these colors could reproduce the full spectrum of visible light. In 1877, Louis Ducos du Hauron utilized a similar technique to produce a renowned color landscape photograph, View of Agen, depicting Southern France.
Early 20th-century color photography saw the emergence of Autochrome Lumière, a process developed by Auguste and Louis Lumière. This method employed “autochrome plates” coated with microscopic dots of multicolored starch. While innovative, plate-based techniques like these remained complex and time-consuming, often yielding subpar results. A significant breakthrough occurred in 1908 when Gabriel Jonas Lippmann received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his method of producing color photographs in a single exposure. Lippmann’s technique utilized a color-sensitive emulsion coated onto a glass plate.
Lippmann’s emulsion paved the way for the widespread adoption of color film using light-sensitive emulsions. In 1935, Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky invented the “tripack” color film, which companies like Kodak and Polaroid later popularized. Kodak’s Kodachrome, a commercially successful color film, marked a turning point. However, despite its availability, color photography remained a novelty for several decades. It wasn’t until the 1970s, with the rise of photographers like William Eggleston, whose work gained recognition in galleries and prominent publications like Time magazine, that color photography transitioned from a gimmick to a respected art form. Eggleston’s vibrant and often mundane subjects elevated color photography to the fine art world.
