Before Instagram existes a small glance at the evolution of color photography, from George Eastman to Sergei Prokoudine-Gorski, through the Lumière brothers.

To produce color photographs, chemicals sensitive to light or electronic sensors record the color information at the time of exposure.

The technique used seeks to replicate the way the human eye perceives color. Thanks to the analysis of the spectrum of colors through three channels of information, one red, the other green and the third blue. Recorded information is then used to reproduce the original colors.

George Eastman invented in 1884 the world’s first commercial film in roll form. In 1888 he revolutionized photography in producing the first portable camera called “Kodak”.

The brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière invented in 1904 the autochrome, it is the first industrial technique of color photography, it produces positive images on glass plates. We owe this technic many pictures of the First World War.

Serguei Prokoudine-Gorski devised an apparatus for successively impress three monochrome plates through three filters. By simultaneously projecting the three images, red, green and blue. With suitably filtered light sources, original colors are reconstructed by additive synthesis.

This process allows, among other very good color fidelity. He will use his invention to make a documentary report on the Russian Empire between 1909 and 1912.

Here are some pictures.