The Incredible Century-old Color Photography of Prokudin-gorsky
In 1909 a remarkable project was initiated by Russian photographer Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky. His mission was to record – in full and vibrant color – the vast and diverse Russian Empire. Here, with his story, is a selection of his amazing century old full color pictures.
Exactly one hundred years ago a Russian photographer, began a remarkable project. With the blessing – and funding – of the Tsar, Nicholas II, he embarked on an extraordinary journey to capture the essence of Russia in full color photographs. Many of these pictures look as if they could have been taken yesterday, with only the costumes worn by the people captured in their moment of time betraying the age of the work. The first shows two men crossing a small river. The colors are quite remarkable – a technique which Prokudin-Gorsky developed himself. However, his travels through the Russian Empire were never a fait accompli. They were the culmination of a long and arduous struggle. Thanks to the tenacity of the photographer we now have a record of times a century ago, so clear and vivid that one feels it is almost possible to jump in to the picture (which would no doubt astonish the subject of the photographs as much as it would disobey the laws of physics as we now know them).
The past always comes alive with pictures, so perhaps it is appropriate to include at this point a self portrait of the man himself. This was taken somewhat later than his 1909 project, in 1915. The Great War had been raging for less than a year when this shot was taken. Looking like a thoughtful actor taking a break from shooting a period movie, the image shows a middle-aged man, lost in thought. He gives the appearance of a somewhat world weary fatigue and it is certainly true that this was not the easiest of eras in which to live. His world was undergoing rapid, bloody change which would culminate in revolution in his home country. What is going through his mind as this picture is taken can only be guessed at, but what a picture. There are even more of them to be seen here.
The audience with the Tsar was to herald a project which Prokudin-Gorsky came to regard as his life’s work and it is certainly a remarkable testament to the man and to the country of Russia. Above, the harvest of 1909 is collected. There is no evidence in the picture of any technology to aid in the bringing in of the harvest, at best the implements and carriages could be described as medieval. However, this way of life was coming to an end. Even after the October Revolution of 1917 which would mark the beginning of the age of Russian industrialization, Prokudin-Gorsky continued to create his record of this fast disappearing world.
Prokudin-Gorsky came from a long line of Russian nobles who mostly enjoyed careers in the Russian army. Prokudin-Gorsky had a more cerebral bent and he studied chemistry in Saint Petersburg at the Institute of Technology in the city. He also studied painting and music at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Chemistry and the Arts may not immediately spring to mind as a happy marriage of subjects to many, but Prokudin-Gorsky’s interest in both would come together eventually. In 1889, at the age of twenty six he travelled to Berlin to study Photochemistry at the Technical University of the German capitol. There he met and studied under Adolf Miethe who was experimenting with three color photography. This started the long journey which would culminate in works such as the one above. Taken one hundred years ago, in 1909, it shows the Team of the Sheksna steamer. A combination of studied informality, this remarkable color shot shows the chain of command in all its glory. Were the youngest of the men pictured twenty years old at the time he would now be the oldest man on the planet.
Marriage in 1890 produced two sons and a daughter. Prokudin-Gorsky’s wife was Anna Aleksandra Lavrova, the daughter of a wealthy industrialist who was a member of the Imperial Russian Technical Society (IRTS). Prokudin-Gorsky worked for his father in law at a metal works near St Petersburg, a position he held until the October Revolution and he joined the photographic section of the IRTS, Russia’s oldest photographic society. Miethe’s methods of color photography needed to be further developed and with this in mind he established a studio in 1901. During the following eight year’s Prokudin-Gorsky’s reputation grew. However, even on a fairly good salary from the metal works the money to fund his envisioned great project was beyond his means. Without funding, works such as the 1909 sawyers on the river Svir would never be composed and taken. Enter one Leo Tolstoy.
The only color portrait known to exist of Leo Tolstoy (some maintain it is the first Russian color photographic portrait) was taken in 1908. One can only imagine the joy of the photographer to be given such an opportunity to capture for posterity (and in color) the grand old man of Russian letters. Taken two year’s before the author’s death in 1910 this picture beautifully captures the man behind masterpieces such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina. This image was widely reproduced on postcards and in various publications of the time. This (without forgetting or neglecting his reputation based on his other work on monuments) eventually brought him to the attention of Tsar Nicholas II. Tolstoy would be the inadvertent catalyst for the go ahead of the biggest project of Prokudin-Gorsky’s life.
Some children will simply not sit still and this 1909 photograph gives us a hint of Prokudin-Gorsky’s technique (more about that later). The Tsar was suitably impressed with the work of the photographer and gave his permission and funding for the long awaited project to begin. Over the next ten years Prokudin-Gorsky would create a collection of over ten thousand photographs (many, sadly, lost to us now). His goal was to educate Russian schoolchildren and to create a record of deserving of the sheer enormity and diversity of Russia and its then empire. How, however, did he achieve such astonishing results more than a century ago? The secret is in the science.
The process used involved a camera that would take a set of three photographs. These pictures would be monochrome but each picture would be taken using a filter of a different color. When all three monochrome pictures were projected (using light which had to be specifically colored) then the original color scene could be reconstructed. However, this took some time to take – hardly the point and click we are used to a century on – and so occasionally in Prokudin-Gorsky’s work you can see stray movements, such as the child in the bottom left of the previous picture.
The six young people seen taking a break from the harvest in 1909 would have had to sit still for quite a while. The green red and blue images were taken at times that were slightly different. Estimates vary of the times needed to get the complete picture. Prokudin-Gorsky himself recollected that the picture of Tolstoy took six seconds for each exposure. However it is also thought that pictures like the one above would require the subjects to sit stock still for a whole minute. It is for this reason that many of Prokudin-Gorsky’s pictures look deliberately posed. By their very nature they had to be, but what Prokudin-Gorsky tries to capture is a single moment.
By 1915 Prokudin-Gorsky’s technique had improved. Here he managed to take a self portrait which looks completely informal and almost as if the picture has been taken in a split second. Even then, however, the water is still moving too quickly to be captured wholly. However, it does give the picture the feel of some modern high definition photography – just a hundred years before its time. The scene here is idyllic. Who would think, looking at this picture that the country was in continual political turmoil.
While he did not ignore the idyllic looking pastoral scenes with happy looking peasant it was within Prokudin-Gorsky’s remit to record the harsher aspects of early twentieth century. The not terribly happy expressions on the faces of these workers from the Bakalskiy Mine show the harshness of life in pre-revolutionary Russia. Tsar Nicholas II had given Prokudin-Gorsky a railroad car that had been adapted to contain a darkroom. He also had two permits that granted him access to areas that were generally restricted for the general population. It must be remembered that even before the revolution Russia was not a democracy and the red tape involved in the project must have been vast.
One can only imagine the set up for this photograph but I would like to think that access was granted to Prokudin-Gorsky and his crew only after this shot of the local military dignitary had been taken. Such was Prokudin-Gorsky’s grant to cover restricted areas that when he finally left Russia many of his plates were confiscated as they contained images that the authorities deemed too sensitive to leave the country. And yes, that is Sergey on the right of the picture. He seemed to have an almost Hitchcockian tendency to interpolate himself in to his own work. He does certainly seem, here, to have the patient air of a man used to satisfying the curiosity of strangers.
Three generations of the same family, the Kalganovs, pose for the camera. How many times Prokudin-Gorsky had to say ‘now remain completely still until I tell you’ can only be guessed. Color prints of the photos were not easy to make at the time, but to help fund the work Prokudin-Gorsky had to commit a deal of his time to lecture tours where he showed slides of his pictures. His own studios produced many of his pictures in journals and they were reproduced (often in black and white) in many books of the time. Many of his shots were used to make postcards – hugely popular at the time and the Edwardian equivalent of a text message. A large number of his originals still survive to this day.
During his travels, Prokudin-Gorsky managed to record for the world the many faces of Russia. However, revolutions are painful businesses and the Prokudin-Gorsky family was no exception. Although he was awarded a new professorship under the communist regime this must have grated for a member of the aristocracy, even a minor one. In 1918, a year after the revolution, Prokudin-Gorsky left Russia for good. He married again in 1920 (his lab assistant!) but remained in close contact with his first family. He even set up a photographic studio with his three adult children from his first marriage. The studio was named Elka after his fourth child, the first with his new wife Maria Fedorovna née Schedrimo.
His work took in the official and semi-official. Here, the planners and builders of a new railway are taken at an outdoors meeting. This photo was taken in 1915. While revolution loomed in Russia, in the USA the House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the vote. In January of the same year the Germans used poison gas against the Russians on the battlefield for the first time and Babe Ruth hit his first career home run.
As well as the great and the good, Prokudin-Gorsky recorded the every day existence of ordinary people. These Murgan villagers could almost be a modern family in fancy dress for a day, except perhaps for the weathered features of the parents. However, this was taken the same year that the first prototype tank was tested by the British Army and Einstein had his first thought or two about relativity.
Russia was not just Russian when Prokudin-Gorsky took his pictures. Above is the Emir of Bukhara, in what is now modern day Uzbekistan, taken in 1910. The gorgeous colors of his robes indicate his importance. Prokudin-Gorsky died in 1944 in German occupied Paris. The times he had recorded, of the Tsar and his empire were long gone. However, he recorded for us and the world a time and a place and left behind a unique and wonderful archive that still astonishes the viewer today.
Would you like to see more of Prokudin-Gorsky’s amazing photographs? The author has – due to numerous requests now written a follow-up article, including many more images. Please click HERE to read the article.
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132 Comments
Patrick Bernauw, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
The colours truly are remarkable!
Steve Newman, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Colour always closes the time gap.
Glynis Smy, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Interesting as always RJ.
Auron Renius, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Facinating article.
DA Cournean, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Quite interesting! Well done!
Rana Sinha, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Fascinating. Quite a pioneer. He must’ve been the envy of all photographers of his times.
Katien, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
What an interesting article! It’s amazing to think that those photos were taken all that time ago. It must have been very hard to get people to hold those positions for long enough.
lanne, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Amazing work. Hard to believe it is so old.
Joe Dorish, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Great to see these photos. All the old black and white photos somehow make people seem different but these color photos show people just like today, except for the clothes.
chris73, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Simply amazing! Thanks.
Anne Lyken Garner, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
They’ve all got an element of peacfulness around them.
Jackie118, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
As a history fanatic I found your article absolutely gripping! The colour photography really brings the subjects to life. So much so that you can almost feel the warmth of the sun and smell the hay in the harvesting photo. Don’t ever stop your articles RJ – they’re a real work of art!!
Mr Ghaz, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Excellent post!!..this is really awesome and amazing piece..vivid memories..I LIKED it..well done and thanx for sharing this wonderful work.
Juancav, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
I was sure that one hundred years ago couldn´t be taken color photos,a discovery to me,as always great article.
James DeVere, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
How such treasures escaped onto a photo-sharing site beggars belief! An incredible set; wonderful global property. Thanks – James
Felix, posted this comment on Jun 18th, 2009
The triple, grey photos can be seen sort of 3d by gazing past them. The camera may have been moved slightly between shots. Makes me wonder whether many of them can be rendered in 3d – if the original b&w photos are available.
nathan from dubai, posted this comment on Jun 18th, 2009
great and very interesting , thanks for sharing it with everybody
Joe Barrett, posted this comment on Jun 18th, 2009
The Library of Congress had a exhibition a few years ago of the photographs. The online version is at http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/
They have all his photographs.
Robert, posted this comment on Jun 18th, 2009
These are unreal. I loved the pictures and the article. Very well done, Thanks.
Franz, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
Amazing pictures,really, for the time. Great work !
Pepita, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
Realmente he quedado impresionada por la calidad y el colorido de las fotografías. Acercan a nosotros una época, que vista en blanco y negro parece muy lejana, pero que con estos colores parece que fueron tomadas ayer.
Jef, Rome, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
I saw a stunning exhibition of his pix in Tashkent last year – and I couldn’t believe the dates on the captions!
Nosa, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
brilliant pics as usual and very interesting subject.I enjoyed ready it;first I thought it might just be a boring old school stuff,but this is great!
Nosa, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
brilliant pics as usual and very interesting subject.I enjoyed ready it;first I thought it might just be a boring old school stuff,but this is great!
JMz, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
The technique used is awesome. I love to see these great colour pictures of this era
Islehopper, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
Truly amazing!
Lucy W, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
At first I thought the pictures are staged. The depth and the color of each one is truly remarkable.
I love it!
fac, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
en 2 palabras,im-presionante
Jesse, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
Great exhibit. Point of order though: Einstein published on Specific Relativity in 1905 and developed his General Relativity from 1907-1915. So he probably had his “first thoughts” on relativity well before these photos.
Cliff.Barnes, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
Great photos.
C Jordan, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
Congratulations. An exceptionally absorbing piece of writing. Well rearched and put together.SU’d
C Jordan, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
Should be “researched” 
Bailey Thompson, posted this comment on Jun 19th, 2009
That is very interesting! Great photos. Thanks!
Irvan Nasution, posted this comment on Jun 20th, 2009
I don’t Get it….when is it exactly the technology of color photography was invented ?
Sueper, posted this comment on Jun 21st, 2009
Considering the technique of three shots blended that he used and the exposure time he must have needed I’m amazed at how sharp most if not all (little girl moving) of these images are.
Cynthia Bartlett, posted this comment on Jun 21st, 2009
Interesting article
Thanks for sharing.
amilia snow, posted this comment on Jun 21st, 2009
wow…amazing, Prokudin-Gorsky is a brilliant man. Thumbs up for this article! i would love to see an original of his photography works
Tanner Koza, posted this comment on Jun 21st, 2009
Nice work!!1
Andrew DC, posted this comment on Jun 21st, 2009
It’s so remarkable that in fact it looks like one of today photographs. Awsome photos!
Francy, posted this comment on Jun 21st, 2009
Nice article…I found it interesting
Thanks, i like it
Deep Blue, posted this comment on Jun 22nd, 2009
Nice shot.
HelloSiti, posted this comment on Jun 22nd, 2009
Modern in old time better than Digital nowadays.
Rodney J Rodriguez, posted this comment on Jun 22nd, 2009
Great article!
Very informative and inspiring.
george, posted this comment on Jun 22nd, 2009
Great!
Very cool and inspiring.
Pupsik22, posted this comment on Jun 22nd, 2009
Awesome article on photography!
Very inspiring and thought-provoking.
alfrhnsby, posted this comment on Jun 23rd, 2009
Great pictures
swatilohani, posted this comment on Jun 23rd, 2009
purely amazing photography
Zoe Robinson, posted this comment on Jun 23rd, 2009
This is amazing. The technology behind these photographs must have been groundbreaking at the time – colour in 1909? Fantastic, yet also strangely disqueting to think that colour is associated with the modern era.
chanbox, posted this comment on Jun 23rd, 2009
incredible, makes history actually seem real
alfrhnsby, posted this comment on Jun 23rd, 2009
Woow interesting picture
protel87, posted this comment on Jun 23rd, 2009
so good picture
anonomous, posted this comment on Jun 24th, 2009
lol i dont think i spelt anonoums rite but o well i dont like the story because it didnt move me but the pictures well they were better thenthe story lol
ZsenaKay, posted this comment on Jun 24th, 2009
Wooooooow…. These pictures are out of this world… especially the lake one… Great background history on the artist…
Elizabeth Abbott, posted this comment on Jun 24th, 2009
The photos are so good to look at and read about. I so enjoyed this article. The photos are so clear! I love the history! Liz
Janne, posted this comment on Jun 24th, 2009
Now, if somebody had given me a choice of statements one of which is false (and the others true), I\’d\’ve chosen \”There is a colour photograph of Lev Tolstoy\” as the obvious false one.
Wow.
Nina, posted this comment on Jun 24th, 2009
It’s unbelievable seeing history in color. My mind cannot put together early 20th century and color photography. It’s beyond surreal.
astros 08, posted this comment on Jun 25th, 2009
Holy snap that is awesome it is awesome i hope you get earnings you deserve them big time!
Earl Schmegley, posted this comment on Jun 25th, 2009
That is totally awesome. At first I thought “there is no way these photos are 100 years old.” They look staged because of the color – they look like they were shot yesterday. It is just incredible how the color really makes the photos and the people in them look contemporary.
Amazing.
Kaligantsaros, posted this comment on Jun 25th, 2009
Well done , a great job .Informative, educative, and very well written . Cheers.
CutestPrincess, posted this comment on Jun 26th, 2009
amazing photography…
Bob Aldridge, posted this comment on Jun 26th, 2009
Is it possible that he had a version of the Yves Chromoscope which was a camera designed to take the three colour separations simultaneously.
There’s a report on it (in French) from 1898 at http://cnum.cnam.fr/CGI/fpage.cgi?4KY28.51/361/100/556/0/0
Bob Aldridge
frank, posted this comment on Jun 27th, 2009
Hey.Thats great,a man of ancients doing staff of 100 years ahead of his time.Thats a 20megapixel cam stuff for that era
rizzei, posted this comment on Jun 27th, 2009
the shots are incredible:) nice work!
Janet Meyer, posted this comment on Jun 27th, 2009
These are some awesome photos, and your narrative is so fitting and informative. An excellant piece on photography.
Drake Harlem, posted this comment on Jun 29th, 2009
Those are beautiful photos considering all the trouble that went into taking them. I always enjoy reading about the evolution of photography equipment and methods.
Pat Neary, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
I can only endorse the sentiments above. Truly spectacular of a day gone bye. What could have the Russian people thinking at the time. I can only speculate and probably wrong. Thank you for bringing this work to the public.
Marc S. Hament, Professional Photographer, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Same principle as 3 NEG process used in the DYE TRANSFER PHOTO – PRINTING PROCESS. The difference being 1 uses light with color Gels / Filters and other uses Liquid Dyes,
all the B / W negitives must be in proper alignment / register
Robin Ferrier, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
My favorites are the portraits–of Leo Tolstoy and the one of the Emir of Bukhara. I knew a man, now deceased, who was born in Bukhara in 1917–7 years after the picture was taken. He spoke of the Emir. Bukhara was a walled city with several gates…and beautiful architecture. Thanks for a wonderful website!
dkrmwiz, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
that’s just the coolest thing ever! color photos from that long ago! i’m sharing this with everyone i know…
Pat Hauenstein, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
How beautiful these photos are and what a walk through time. Sending this on for others to appreciate as well…………Thank you for sharing this.
nick Reifferscheid, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
This is a great record of somewhat mysterious Russian times. This man was very talented and should be recognized for his project. Both the written record and photos are invalueable. Please give us more! NR
Winfield Sterling, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Too bad he did not hang around to document the terror and murder of the Russian people by Lenin and then Stalin. It’s likely that some of the folks in these photos died from starvation when Lenin stole their farmlands and other personal property — or simply murdered them. To achieve his communist utopia, the end justified the means. The means was to wipe out all his real or imagined enemies. They died horrible deaths by the millions.
Leon Oduin, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Pictures are great. thought it was very rewarding to see The colors are so vivid and clear. Great technology even back then where it all began.
Herb Cober, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Where there is a will there is a way, fantastic article
Ron Williams, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
What a wonderful piece of work. I spent more time reading and looking at the pictures than I intended. It’s mesmerizing!
Ron
terry pollack, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Fantastic.
Coy Russell, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
For me these re more than just great pictures. They are a peek into what Russia was when my grandparents left to come to America, (via Hawaii), in 1912.
MMontine, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
As always, the genius is believing in the impossible and then making it happen. Thank the Lord for men like Prokudin-Gorsky, for we are richer today because of his visionary talent.
Dr Viveck Atheya, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
What talent!What brilliance!What genius.it the fruits of the extreme hardwork of such people that we are clicking away to glory the digital pictures of today.These are not photos but compositions.True talent brooks no boundaries-hats off to Prokudin-Gorsky of the Great Russia.
Dr Viveck Atheya.
Roley Kiser, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
After reading about Russia in history classes and on my own in various books, I am amazed at the true generous of the Russian people. I often think of how different the world would be today if the revolution had taken a different course and they would have developed a constitutional democratic republic like we have or if the Tsar would have given them the rights they asked him for, much as England following their civil war. This early color photography is breathtakingly stunning.
Carl Lafong, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Astonishing. I kept expecting the article to end up saying the story was made up and that the pictures were faked.
Joe Kaiser, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Often I am blessed to find the “Good Ole Days” truly were GOOD!
Manuel Gaetan, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Remarkable technical accomplishments paired with artistic talent.
Bill Paisley, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Absolutely amazing. So contemporary you almost want to check \\\”Snopes\\\” to be sure they are authentic. I am surprised that I had never heard of him or his pictures before. But, then they come from Kim Komando so you know they are authentic as is the story behind them. GREAT! Thanks, Bill Paisley
R J Evans, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
Thank you for all the wonderful comments! I love it that quite a few people thought it was a practical joke but, yes, this gentleman was taking colour phptpgrahs one hundred years ago. Again – thanks a lot – wonderful comments about someone who I hope is now better known outside of Russia!
J Rowe, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
His three negative process brings to mind the three color layers that have to be applied with KODACHROME processing. Too bad that emulsion is going the way of the Dodo bird. He was a man ahead of his time.
Matt, posted this comment on Jun 30th, 2009
That is awesome! I can’t describe the feelings of this. It amazes me that he came up with this technique so long ago, yet it shouldn’t. I wonder how many other people of the past we have overlooked. It used to be a big world.
Roger H. Dioda, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
WOW!! wish I’d taken them. I’ve been taking pictures for 75 years so I appreciate his pictures.
dennis eldracher, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
great …..!!…the photography takes you there..sweet…shadows and light….d
Fern Yanagisawa, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
my father, a Belgian civil engineer worked and lived in Russia from 1900 to 1913 and I have many old photos but none in color.
He lived in TVER and IRKUSK and ran a factory making RRcars. He built cars for the transsiberean and designed and built ambulance cars during the Russia-Japan war in 1904. In 1992 I rode the Transsiberian from Kabarov to Irkusk . It felt like moving back in time 100 years.
Optimal Video & Photography, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
The images bring to life the era, the color adds a sense of reality and depth that I have never experienced. Thank you.
Shirley Billingsley, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
Those are simply gorgeous pictures.
Debra Coburn, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
Just finished reading a book about Leo Tolstoy (Tolstoy Park) &
had not known what he looked like until now – thank you!
mike ezell, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
sometimes it not the camera ,but the subject as in been there done that. theis are really great
Sheila, posted this comment on Jul 1st, 2009
Truly remarkable images – I didn’t even know you could shoot in color that long ago, let alone shoot it so well.
Ivan Gur-Arie, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
Thank you. My parents live in Russia at the time the pictures were taken. They have given me a chance to become acquainted with my parents in their youth.
lucia anna, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
Hi. great!
maria, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
thanks! that’s really great! such a wonderful a close up on the past =)
Helena Zinkham, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
To see the full archive of Prokudin-Gorksii’s work, including his photographic albums and glass negatives, please visit the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division’s online catalog, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/prokhtml/prokabt.html
It’s wonderful to read your warm reactions to his great images!
Helena Zinkham
Acting Chief
Prints & Photos Div.
Library of Congress
Dan Norman, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
Having myself being a photographer for over 50 years, I am astonished that this was really accomplished in his era. But evan more meaningful we did not enjoy his tecnique for too long a period. I played with color around 1940, but nothing like this , great article, and thank you….
Aleksandar Radojicic, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
Great article.The photography is just amazing.Interesting read, as well.One COULD just jump in to the photos.Great Job.
Masha Zavialova, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is organizing its second exhibit of Prokudin-Gorskii’s work in September 2009, this time the photos from his two trips to the ancient Silk Road cities in Central Asia. We mount them in light boxes in a dimly lit gallery – truly amazing. Visit http://www.tmora.org
BryanSandberg, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
I didn’t read the article (sorry) just looked at the pictures. Stunning! I had no idea about any of this. Great job. I feel smarter now.
Jeanette, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
I was fascinated by the photographs, especially the clearnesss of expressions on the subjects faces, and the details of foliage and water (really, the show of movement of water is better than those of today.) Thank you, and thank my neighbor for forwarding it to me.
Pavel T, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
After viewing these pictures and reading this article, today I am really proud to be Russian.
Nina Hustus, posted this comment on Jul 2nd, 2009
I never would have believed this was possible, color photos from 1909. This was amazing to see. Thank you so very much.
Chip, posted this comment on Jul 3rd, 2009
A treasure for all time…
CEA, posted this comment on Jul 3rd, 2009
Seeing the work of a true forward thinker is always a pleasure.
BeatsMe, posted this comment on Jul 4th, 2009
Thank you for introducing him.
Stephen Somerstein, posted this comment on Jul 4th, 2009
Produlon-Gorsk’s color process using three black and white negative taken through three primary color filters was a well understood but infrequently used process. It achieved great success years later in motion pictures with the Technicolor process. The lovely aspect of this process is that black and white negatives do not fade with time, so new color prints can be made which will glow with their immediacy. Prokudin-Gorsky was not only a fine photographer with a painter’s mastery of composition, but also a great organizer and diplomat. This brings to mind Curtis’ efforts as he photographed the vanishing indians of North America. All these men possessed incredible energy and vision. Our society presents such artistic goals, if we have the vision and energy to pursue them.
M. Davis, posted this comment on Jul 4th, 2009
So interesting to me as this was about the time frame of my own grandparents (on both Mother’s and Father’s side) leaving Russia to come to America! Our family photos from then are few, so these photos are a treasure!
monduman11, posted this comment on Jul 4th, 2009
Beautiful Article, keep up the awsome work
LeRoy Blommaert, posted this comment on Jul 4th, 2009
Amazing, just amazing. I had no idea color photography existed this early. And these are not just any color photographs…they are superb…beautiful. It is amazing that they survived. We all should be grateful that they did. Thanks for sharing.
agus nur m, posted this comment on Jul 5th, 2009
very good photos
CO3, posted this comment on Jul 5th, 2009
I have always been fascinated by the Russian people and Russian culture. They have provided so many artists, past and present. Prokudin-Gorsky is another Russian treasure. His photographs are luscious to look at.
Peggy O'Brien, posted this comment on Jul 5th, 2009
Peggy O’Brien
Really mind boggling to think he was so far ahead of our times and really a genius. So enjoyable. Thank you.
Jay Van Vechten, posted this comment on Jul 5th, 2009
All of these photos and more are available in a coffee table size book published 25 or more years ago called: Photographs of the Czar. I have the book. The orginal color plates, as I understand it, are kept in the Library of Congress.
PhiXul, posted this comment on Jul 5th, 2009
Really Amazing…
William Abraham, posted this comment on Jul 7th, 2009
Devotion to art and technology.Freedom of expression.
Ina, posted this comment on Jul 15th, 2009
Very wonderful thank you!
Perhaps not very relavant, but I once knew a Russian photographer who came to live here on the island Terschelling (NL) during or right after the second world war, his name was Zadek and he had made many black and white pictures of the tsar and his family, as that was his originally job.
He showed them to me as he lived in the elderly home here and I was visiting my grandparents. I always wondered what happened with those pictures after he died at the age of 97, in the seventies somewhere.
There is something fascinating about pictures of that time. To see them in colour is amazing!
PJO'Lear, posted this comment on Jul 16th, 2009
All the previous comments do sum it all up. A llitle difficult to add much more to the the kudos and compliments mentioned. Really was a great piece, excellent read. The brief talk following each picture (fabulous ones at that, and amazing that it was taken at that particular time) was really a short course on history of art/photgraphy. Very enlightening!! ’tis evident that all the hard and heartfelt work put into this is highly appreciated and held in high regard.
PJ>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Arturo, posted this comment on Jul 17th, 2009
This is just incredible… has changed so many perceptions about the past for me…
hz, posted this comment on Jul 22nd, 2009
Are there more of his photographs that you could post here? I want to see them all, complete with a continuation of the informative and interesting narrative
John, posted this comment on Jul 26th, 2009
Astonishing color! I’ve never seen anything like them from that time period.
John, posted this comment on Jul 26th, 2009
Astonishing color! I\’ve never seen anything like them from that time period.
Rex M Welch, posted this comment on Jul 28th, 2009
WELCHBER: jJuly 28, 09
Amazing pics for quality & details
jim w, posted this comment on Jul 29th, 2009
just amazing, the colours come out so well and some of the clothing looks amazing! thanks ffor posting these!
Kaavs, posted this comment on Aug 21st, 2009
870 ! I Like it!
Bil Walker, posted this comment on Aug 28th, 2009
My life has been with the camera. For me, this began as flash powder as the light source. Flash bulbs followed prior to the introduction of the strob flash of today.
These pictures took imagination of the era. I had not suspected the quality as I see it, would be there.
They are efforts of sincere dreaming…..and patience.
Krass, posted this comment on Oct 3rd, 2009
Great article, ignorant comments.
Pick up a dictionary, people.
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littlekid137, posted this comment on Jun 17th, 2009
Thats really cool!!
Great pictures