The Dawn of the Color Photograph: Albert Kahn's Archives of the Planet By David Okuefuna
The Dawn of the Color Photograph kindle fire
In 1909 the French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn launched a monumentally ambitious project to produce a color photographic record of human life on Earth An internationalist and pacifist Kahn believed that he could use the new autochrome the world s first portable true color photographic process to create a global photographic archive that would promote cross cultural understanding and peace Over the next twenty years he sent a group of photographers to than fifty countries around the world amassing than 72000 images Until recently his collection was all but forgotten Now a century after he began his Archives of the Planet project this book richly illustrated in color throughout and the BBC series it follows are bringing Kahn s dazzling early twentieth century pictures to a wide audience for the first time and putting color into what we usually think of as a monochrome world Kahn s photographers captured times places and people we simply do not expect to see in color photographs They documented age old cultures on the brink of being changed forever by war modernization and Westernization recording the last years of Ireland s traditional Celtic villages and the late days of the Austro Hungarian and Ottoman empires They photographed First World War soldiers in their trenches as well as the postwar celebrations in London In the course of their travels they also took the earliest color photographs in countries as varied as Vietnam and Brazil Mongolia and Norway Benin and the United States After being financially ruined in the Great Depression Kahn was forced to bring his project to a premature end but today his collection of early color photographs is recognized as one of the world s most important The Dawn of the Color Photograph makes it easy to see why The Dawn of the Color Photograph Albert Kahn s Archives of the PlanetAutochrome plates patented by the Lumi re brothers in 1903 were one of the first successful forms of color photography That is the first form that was sufficiently easy or affordable that it saw widespread use it combined on a single plate what had taken earlier color photographers such as John Joly multiple plates and steps The Lumi re technology employed relatively inexpensive ingredients colored potato starches were dusted onto a plate coated with a mixture of gelatine and glycerine fixed in place by a fine black powder possibly powdered charcoal or soot and then coats of first waterproof lacquer and then a gelatine and silver bromide emulsion were applied But this was all done in production so that the plates were in effect ready to use on the spot The exposure time was significantly longer than contemporary monochrome silver halide plates for black and white photography but relatively reliable as long as the subject was stationary In 1909 French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn began an enormous project to create a color photographic record of all the peoples of the world In addition to wishing to document the traditional ways of life that were fast disappearing Kahn hoped to promote peace and international understanding One of the richest men in Europe until the Wall Street Crash of 1930 Kahn employed numerous photographers and sent them to over 50 countries The styles of the different men varied quite a bit with some taking workman like documentary images and others most famously Leon Busy trying for artistic and painterly effects They captured significant events and important individuals but also everyday life in the areas they visited. The Dawn of the Color photography pdf The project documented traditional regional clothing and practicesMesdemoiselles Helene and Denise Lauth of Massevaux in Alsace France on 6 July 1918Christian women in Iraq 1927and methods of farming textile production etcAlgeria 1909 Note the word in the carpet Kahn was also a keen photographer himself although he did not like having his picture taken and took portraits of the numerous and varied array of people who visited his homes Here are some guests of his in Cornwall in 1913 In addition to the historical and aesthetic interest of the images I found the text here excellent Some of Kahn s photographers made interesting notes and Okuefuna has done a great job researching the images and their context Many of the autochromes are available online but I highly recommend reading the book as well There is also a BBC publication The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn Colour Photographs from a Lost Age in Books that I haven t read yet the sample pages looked as if there was not as much text For those lucky enough to find themselves in the Paris area his home in the Boulogne Billancourt suburb is now a museum Hardcover In the summer of 1907 Auguste and Louis Lumiere demonstrated a startling new technology the autochrome a way of making true color images on glass One of those struck by the potential of the new autochrome technology was a banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn On a trip around the world in 1909 he devised his plan to create what he called his Archives of the Planet a photographic record of human life on earth He would devote the next 22 years of his life and his fortune to the project sending photographers and equipment to Asia Africa the Americas Europe and the Levant. The Dawn of the Color Photograph kindle There is poignancy to these photographs these compelling almost hypnotic images of times lost cultures and ways of life that have vanished forever Some of the photographs like this one from 1912 of a young woman in Bayreuth Germany use color and framing so masterfully that they are true works of art. The Dawn of the Color Photograph pdfescape Each photograph holds a little world The commentary gives us some clues about the people who fill these pages but I found myself making up stories to go with each one imagining their lives and futures Somehow looking back from the twenty first century many of the images seemed shadowed not by the flaws in the autochrome plates but by my knowledge of horrors that would sweep these worlds in the decades to come. The Dawn of the Color photographxl Albert Kahn was a devout pacifist who longed to open our eyes and hearts to the humanity of the world s many peoples But sadly some of the archives most striking images are those shot at the front lines during World War I or in the hospitals with their thousands of wounded young men or in the aftermath as millions of bodies were buried. Book The Dawn of the Color photographic A selection of the 72000 images taken by Kahn and his photographic team are now available online can be seen at periodic exhibits and at the Musee Albert Kahn in Boulogne Billancout It s just west of Paris and you can get their by Metro line 10 But if you can t visit Paris you won t regret buying this book it s a beautiful treasure and a thought provoking journey to another time a recherche du temps perdu Hardcover If you are interested in Photography or History or the history of photography then this eloquent book is a must read Times long gone forever are reanimated in incredible colour Hardcover In the early 20th Century the French philanthropist Albert Kahn sent a flock of photographers to all corners of the world to document the everyday lives of average people What these photos capture is a lost world of local cultures cooks beggars nuns grape pickers and mussel harvesters throughout Asia Africa the Middle East Europe and the Americas Their rare or extinct ways of life are captured in beautifully composed vivid color developed under Kahn s watch by the Lumi re brothers. Kindle The Dawn of the Color photography edition We miss something when we limit our learning to words I m trying to stretch my brain by learning from visual and aural cues The Dawn of the Color Photograph is a good example of visual history Each of the hundreds of images in this book contains a seed of insight into human life. The Dawn of the Color photographos Albert Kahn the color photography supporter is not to be confused with Albert Kahn the German born but American bred Jewish architect who built the best of Detroit One of his gems the Fisher building on Detroit s north side Hardcover Fabulous book Love the photos of course but the whole idea behind Albert Kahn s grand idea is terrific And successful David Okuefuna s text gives readers an insight into world events at the time these photos were taken and some insight where possible into the photographers and Kahn themselves Excellent book to dip in and out of Hardcover
The Dawn of the Color Photograph: Albert Kahn's Archives of the Planet By David Okuefuna |
0691139075 |
9780691139074 |
English |
336 |
Hardcover |
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