Colour Film

Getting the world's colours onto a plate. Prokudin-Gorsky's three exposures through three filters across the Russian Empire, the Lumières' Autochrome and its potato-starch grains, Kinemacolor, Technicolor's three-strip beam splitter, and Kodachrome, which held its colour for seventy years.

Part of Cameras

50 moments in this segment.

1. 1861-05-17 - The world's first colour photograph. First Color Photograph (Maxwell) (1861). In the years cinema was invented, the camera learned to capture not a moment but motion itself.
2. 1861-06-01 - First colour photo (Maxwell 1861) (1861). First colour photo (Maxwell 1861), an image made in 1861. In the first age of photography, exposures took hours and every image was a small miracle of chemistry and light.
3. 1902 - 1901/1902 - 8 preserved fragments of Edward Raymond Turner. Early color film Friese-Greene Biocolour (1909). As the snapshot and the silent film arrived, photography left the studio and the movies were born.
4. 1902 - The First Colour Film by Edward Raymond Turner (1899/1902). Edward Turner 1902 first color film (1902). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
5. 1907-06-01 - Autochrome colour photo (1907) (1907) (4 of 4). Autochrome colour photo (1907), an image made in 1907. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
6. 1907-06-01 - Autochrome colour photo (1907) (1907) (3 of 4). Autochrome colour photo (1907), an image made in 1907. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
7. 1907-06-01 - Autochrome colour photo (1907) (1907) (2 of 4). Autochrome colour photo (1907), an image made in 1907. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
8. 1907-06-01 - Autochrome colour photo (1907) (1907) (1 of 4). Autochrome colour photo (1907), an image made in 1907. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
9. 1908 - 1908 Real Color Film - 'The Harvest' (Kinemacolor). Kinemacolor 1908 (1908). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
10. 1910-01-01 - Rare Kinemacolor Footage of a Waltz (c.1910). Kinemacolor footage (1910). As the snapshot and the silent film arrived, photography left the studio and the movies were born.
11. 1910-06-01 - Autochrome color photo (1910) (4 of 4). Autochrome color photo, an image made in 1910. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
12. 1910-06-01 - Autochrome color photo (1910) (1 of 4). Autochrome color photo, an image made in 1910. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
13. 1910-06-01 - Autochrome color photo (1910) (3 of 4). Autochrome color photo, an image made in 1910. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
14. 1910-06-01 - Autochrome color photo (1910) (2 of 4). Autochrome color photo, an image made in 1910. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
15. 1922-01-01 - Kodak 1922 Kodachrome Film Test. Kodachrome 1922 first color motion test (1922). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
16. 1922 - Kodachrome Color Motion Picture Tests (1922). 1922 Kodachrome two-color test (1922). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
17. 1935 - Kodachrome Demonstration Reel - 1935 (Faded Color) | 16mm Film Scan. Kodachrome introduced 1935 (1935). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
18. 1935 - (1935) Becky Sharp: The First Three-Strip Technicolor Feature. Becky Sharp 1935 first Technicolor (1935). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
19. 1936 - 1936 Early Kodachrome Colour Film, Views from the Terminal Tower, Cleveland. Early Kodachrome 1936 (1936). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
20. 1939-08-25 - Dorothy entering Technicolor. Wizard of Oz Technicolor 1939 (1939). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
21. 1940-06-01 - Kodachrome colour film (1940) (2 of 3). Kodachrome colour film, an image made in 1940. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
22. 1940-06-01 - Kodachrome colour film (1940) (1 of 3). Kodachrome colour film, an image made in 1940. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
23. 1940-06-01 - Kodachrome colour film (1940) (3 of 3). Kodachrome colour film, an image made in 1940. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
24. 1940-06-01 - Kodachrome color film (1940) (2 of 4). Kodachrome color film, an image made in 1940. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
25. 1940-06-01 - Kodachrome color film (1940) (1 of 4). Kodachrome color film, an image made in 1940. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
26. 1940-06-01 - Kodachrome color film (1940) (3 of 4). Kodachrome color film, an image made in 1940. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
27. 1940-06-01 - Kodachrome color film (1940) (4 of 4). Kodachrome color film, an image made in 1940. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
28. 1946 - The Nature of Color - 1946 Educational Film in Kodachrome. 1946 Kodachrome color educational film (1946). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
29. 2012-09-12 - The First Colour Moving Pictures at the National Science and Media Museum. First colour moving pictures (Kinemacolor) (1908). As the snapshot and the silent film arrived, photography left the studio and the movies were born.
30. 2013-08-29 - The History and Science of Color Film: From Isaac Newton to the Coen Brothers. History & science of color film (1908). As the snapshot and the silent film arrived, photography left the studio and the movies were born.
31. 2015-01-22 - The Three Strip Camera - Technicolor 100. Technicolor three-strip explained (1932). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
32. 2015-01-22 - The Dye Transfer Printing Process - Technicolor 100. Technicolor dye transfer process (1932). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
33. 2015-01-22 - The Two-Color Process - Technicolor 100. Technicolor two-color process (1922). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
34. 2015-05-10 - Color Photographs From 1907:: Autochrome and Pictorialism. Autochrome color photographs (1907). As the snapshot and the silent film arrived, photography left the studio and the movies were born.
35. 2016-09-21 - Technicolor at 100: The Road to Color Film Production. Technicolor history (1915). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
36. 2017-06-15 - The Stunning Evolution of Color in Film | WIRED. Evolution of color in film (1935). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
37. 2017-12-01 - How Technicolor Changed Movies. Technicolor history (1932). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
38. 2018-04-27 - Early Technicolor Discoveries from the BFI National Archive. Early Technicolor BFI archive (1920). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
39. 2019-06-15 - Authentic Color Photographs of the Russian Empire (1904-1915) | Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky. Prokudin-Gorsky color photos Russia (1909). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
40. 2021-06-14 - The Wonderful World of Early Colour | BFI National Archive. Early colour film history BFI (1900). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
41. 2021-06-15 - Technicolor Tests (1933-1936, compiled 1954) | MoMA Film Vault. Technicolor tests 1933-1936 (1933). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
42. 2021-11-16 - What is an autochrome? | Colour Photography Processes | V&A. Autochrome Lumiere color 1907 (1907). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
43. 2022-02-02 - What is a Kodachrome? | Colour Photography Processes | V&A. Kodachrome film process (1935). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
44. 2022-04-26 - The Autochrome; Color photos? Just add potatoes.. Autochrome Lumiere (1907). As the snapshot and the silent film arrived, photography left the studio and the movies were born.
45. 2024-02-03 - Animated Autochromes, Part 1: 1912-1919 (Kahn Archives). Albert Kahn autochromes 1912-1919 (1912). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
46. 2024-02-18 - Animated Autochromes, Part 2: 1920-1927 (Kahn Archives). Albert Kahn autochromes 1920-1927 (1920). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
47. 2024-02-22 - Animated Autochromes, Part 3: 1927-1930 (Kahn Archives). Albert Kahn autochromes 1927-1930 (1927). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
48. 2024-09-24 - Trichrome - Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky. Prokudin-Gorsky three-color process (1909). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
49. 2025-05-16 - Kinemacolor. (1908). As the snapshot and the silent film arrived, photography left the studio and the movies were born.
50. 2025-05-21 - Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky and the Techniques Behind Early Colour Photography. Prokudin-Gorsky three-color process (1909). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.