1910 Color Photography

[Katzenjammer]

Apologies if this has been posted already, but I'm amazed by this batch of photos:

Russia in Color, A Century Ago

"...photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) undertook a photographic survey of the Russian Empire with the support of Tsar Nicholas II. He used a specialized camera to capture three black and white images in fairly quick succession, using red, green and blue filters, allowing them to later be recombined and projected with filtered lanterns to show near true color images. The high quality of the images, combined with the bright colors, make it difficult for viewers to believe that they are looking 100 years back in time - when these photographs were taken, neither the Russian Revolution nor World War I had yet begun."

 

[Geesie]

That's incredible. I only wish there had been a good representation of Moscow and St Petersburg. It's always neat (to me) to see a heavily urbanized area from a time before all the skyscrapers and apartment complexes. When some of the impressive churches were really the highlights of the skyline.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

My God, some of those look like they could have been taken yesterday!!!

 

[Silver Dollar]

It's hard to believe that those are hundred year old photos. They're incredibly clear and really well done.

 

[Undertow]

Really enjoyed these photos, thanks for posting! I had a chance to look through them last night, and during my lunch today. Great quality shots and very interesting.

 

[Gingerella72]

These are stunning, and indeed look as if they could have been taken yesterday with a high-tech digital camera.

I always feel more connected to the past when I look at early color photographs....the color aspect makes the people seem more real to me, somehow.

 

[AmateisGal]

Wow. Incredible.

I've always been fascinated with Russia, especially after taking a Russian history class in college.

 

[Sincerely-Dee]

This pictures are so impressive, it's hard to believe that they are so old!

 

[Katzenjammer]

I wish there were a few more urban scenes on display, but I guess the aim was to capture the country's natural beauty and document rural life.

 

[Miss Peach]

absolutely haunting


why does it seem like grass, trees, and flowers should've looked different than they have for eons when you see them in black and white, but when they're in color you realize, "HEY! IT WAS THE SAME!"

Silly thought, but it's just so overpowering to see REAL people 100 years ago in scenes that look like ours, in colors that look like ours, and who look like us. Bravo!

 

[scottyrocks]

Yes, b&w photography has a way of dating the images, and removing the subjects from our reality. It is almost shocking, bordering on unbelievable, to see color photos of people and things that our brains are so accustomed to seeing in black and white.

 

[Kiri]

Oh my gosh, those are incredible!