These old color photos courtesy of the autochrome process may date to the early 1900s, but they don't look it one bit.
Christina, the daughter of Autochrome photographer Mervyn O'Gorman, poses in a red cloak in order to be photographed by her father. Dorset, England. 1913.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images The daughter of Autochrome photographer Etheldreda Janet Laing poses in a kimono in order to be photographed by her mother. England. 1908.SSPL/Getty Images A little girl plays with her doll next to two guns and a knapsack in Reims, France during World War I. 1917. Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images Two men play chess in Hoboken, N.J. 1907.Alfred Stieglitz/Wikimedia Commons Christina sits beside a boat. 1913.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images Two women sit on a bench. Location unspecified. Circa 1915.George Eastman Museum/Flickr Christina poses with a purple Buddleia flower. 1915.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images A woman with tattooed arms poses in Bosnia. 1912.Musée Albert-Kahn Christina sits on the beach. 1913.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images French soldiers prepare lunch outdoors. Circa 1910.adoc-photos/Corbis via Getty Images Children pose in costume during World War I. France. 1914.adoc-photos/Corbis via Getty Images A little girl in a red riding hood poses near some flowers. England. 1907.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images Christina walks on the beach. 1913.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images Three little girls sit on the terrace next to Kastel Fortress in Bosnia. 1912.Musée Albert-Kahn Else Paneth (left), the wife of Austrian chemist and photographer Friedrich Paneth, sits on a camel in Egypt. 1913.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images "Mother and Child." Location unspecified. Circa 1910.National Science and Media Museum/Flickr Children play in the ruins of Reims, France during World War I. 1917.Wikimedia Commons Constantin Mitrofanovitch Flórinsky, officer of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. 1907.The Metropolitan Museum of Art "The Last Digger." United Kingdom. 1910.The Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images Two couples of tennis players sit on a bench in France. Circa 1912.Photographic Heritage/Flickr A local stands next to a cart in Cairo, Egypt. 1914.Musée Albert-Kahn Photographer Frank Eugene poses for an Autochrome in Hoboken, N.J. 1907.Alfred Stieglitz/The Metropolitan Museum of Art The daughter of photographer Frank Eugene poses with photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Location unspecified. 1907.The Metropolitan Museum of Art Emmy (left), the daughter of Autochrome photographer Frank Eugene. Tutzing, Bavaria. 1907.Frank Eugene/The Metropolitan Museum of Art Selma Schubart, the sister of photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Hoboken, N.J. 1907.Alfred Stieglitz/The Metropolitan Museum of Art Katherine Stieglitz, the daughter of photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Location unspecified. 1910.Wikimedia Commons A family poses for an Autochrome outdoors. Location unspecified. Circa 1915.George Eastman Museum/Flickr A gardener holds tomatoes in his apron. United Kingdom. 1905.SSPL/Getty Images Tamara Karasavina, a leading dancer in the Russian ballet, poses next to some flowers. Location unspecified. Circa 1908.Adolf de Meyer/The Metropolitan Museum Of Art An Italian rifleman poses in Verona, Italy. 1918.Musée Albert-Kahn A family stands on the beach in Margate, England. 1915. Royal Photographic Society Collection/National Science and Media Museum/SSPL/Getty Images A man drives a British-made Lanchester automobile. Location unspecified. 1913.National Motor Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images Two girls sit in a field. England. 1908.SSPL/Getty Images A condemned prisoner stands in chains in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 1913.Wikimedia Commons The Moulin Rouge. Paris. 1914.Wikimedia Commons A woman identified Olga Victorovna Dmitrieff sits outdoors on a bench. Russia. 1907.The Metropolitan Museum of Art The daughters of Autochrome photographer Etheldreda Janet Laing pose on a balcony. England. 1908.SSPL/Getty Images A group of Serbian women sit in a market square. 1913.Musée Albert-Kahn The daughter of photographer Etheldreda Janet Laing sits with a parasol sitting by a flower bed. England. 1908.SSPL/Getty Images Porte Saint-Denis. Paris. 1914.Wikimedia Commons An unidentified man poses in a red sweater. Hoboken, N.J. 1907.The Metropolitan Museum of Art Russian soldiers pose amid the ruins at Reims, France during World War I. 1917.Wikimedia Commons A young girl, presumably one of the daughters of photographer Etheldreda Janet Laing, poses near some flowers. England. 1910.SSPL/Getty Images A girl poses in traditional dress in Madeira, Portugal. 1910.Wikimedia Commons
44 Old Color Photos Made With Autochrome That Remain Stunning A Century Later View GalleryLong before digital photos and even Kodachrome color film, the Autochrome process helped bring color to the world of photography. Patented by brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière of France in 1907, Autochrome was history's first commercially successful color photography process.
Even today, it's hard to believe your eyes when you see Autochromes taken more than a century ago. These old color photos just look so... alive.
The complicated, revolutionary process responsible for these images involved glass plates, soot, and even potato starch. In short, light passed through tiny grains of potato starch that had been dyed in various colors in order to impart those colors onto the image.
And although this process was effective, it was very slow. Long exposure times meant subjects needed to stay very still in order to prevent blurring. But even with some blur, the effect was marvelous.
The softness of motion paired with the subtle palettes made these old color photos resemble paintings. Aside from the aesthetic benefits, Autochrome images allowed photojournalists and documentarians to explore new realms of realism.
In the words of Adrian Coakley, photo editor for National Geographic:
"We often think of images from the early 1900s as being exclusively in black and white ... with autochrome, you're seeing those images in a way you wouldn't imagine them. It's like a look at history in color."
Nevertheless, the popularity of Autochrome lasted only about 30 years until Kodachrome was popularized. The new film paired with a 35mm camera was lighter to travel with and much easier to use.
However, some photographers were slow to abandon Autochrome simply because they didn't want to lose the misty beauty that it provided.
See some of the most stunning Autochrome images as well as some other of history's earliest color photos in the gallery above.
After this look at old color photos taken using Autochrome, see some of the most incredible images of World War 2 in color. Then, check out these popular interesting photos from all around the world.
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