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BBC article 100 yr old color photos


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<p>More informative link from many years ago:<br>

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/<br>

They are really wonderful pictures. Three sequential exposures on three panchromatic glass plates through red, green, and blue filters. Originally viewed by three separate projectors with color filters, holding positive plates.<br>

I particularly like the Emir of Bukhara on this page: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/ethnic.html<br>

Water comes out strange, since it wouldn't stay still for the three exposures. Some of the people are color-fringed as well.</p>

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<p>Just remember... these are technically three separate B&W photographs which have been carefully digitally filtered and overlayed to simulate the effect of projecting them with three overlapping filtered projectors, which is the only way they could have been viewed before the invention of color prints. <br>

A very similar process was used to film the "color" portions of The Wizard of Oz and is (or was?) still used to create stable archival copies of color films due to the immense superiority of B&W emulsion resistance to fading. </p>

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