From circa. 1907-1915, taken in the Russian Empire, "prior to the advent of color photography" and in extremely good quality.
Just thought it was kind of interesting :]
You can find all of them here:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/
Some samples:
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-6040.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-6040.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-6040.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-7001.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-7001.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-7001.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_4499__00747_.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_4499__00747_.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_4499__00747_.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_2067__00279_.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_2067__00279_.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_2067__00279_.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_6744__01441_.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_6744__01441_.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_6744__01441_.jpg")
Quote:
His process used a camera that took a series of monochrome pictures in rapid sequence, each through a different coloured filter. By projecting all three monochrome pictures using correctly-coloured light, it was possible to reconstruct the original colour scene. [...] It was only with the advent of digital image processing that the images could be satisfactorily combined into one.
Just thought it was kind of interesting :]
Quote:
The photographs of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) offer a vivid portrait of a lost world--the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I and the coming revolution. His subjects ranged from the medieval churches and monasteries of old Russia, to the railroads and factories of an emerging industrial power, to the daily life and work of Russia's diverse population.
His own original research yielded patents for producing color film slides and for projecting color motion pictures. Around 1907 Prokudin-Gorskii envisioned and formulated a plan to use the emerging technological advancements that had been made in color photography to systematically document the Russian Empire. Through such an ambitious project, his ultimate goal was to educate the schoolchildren of Russia with his "optical color projections" of the vast and diverse history, culture, and modernization of the empire.
His process used a camera that took a series of monochrome pictures in rapid sequence, each through a different coloured filter. By projecting all three monochrome pictures using correctly-coloured light, it was possible to reconstruct the original colour scene. He also successfully experimented with making color prints of the photographs, but the process was complicated and slow. Any stray movement within the camera's field of view showed up in the prints as multiple "ghosted" images, since the red, green and blue images were taken of the subject at slightly different times. It was only with the advent of digital image processing that the images could be satisfactorily combined into one.
His own original research yielded patents for producing color film slides and for projecting color motion pictures. Around 1907 Prokudin-Gorskii envisioned and formulated a plan to use the emerging technological advancements that had been made in color photography to systematically document the Russian Empire. Through such an ambitious project, his ultimate goal was to educate the schoolchildren of Russia with his "optical color projections" of the vast and diverse history, culture, and modernization of the empire.
His process used a camera that took a series of monochrome pictures in rapid sequence, each through a different coloured filter. By projecting all three monochrome pictures using correctly-coloured light, it was possible to reconstruct the original colour scene. He also successfully experimented with making color prints of the photographs, but the process was complicated and slow. Any stray movement within the camera's field of view showed up in the prints as multiple "ghosted" images, since the red, green and blue images were taken of the subject at slightly different times. It was only with the advent of digital image processing that the images could be satisfactorily combined into one.
You can find all of them here:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/
Some samples:
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-5251.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-5251.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-5251.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_4363__00636_.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_4363__00636_.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_4363__00636_.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-4240.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-4240.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-4240.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-2024.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-2024.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87-2024.jpg")
![[http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_7238__01602_.jpg]](http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_7238__01602_.jpg "http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/images/p87_7238__01602_.jpg")
