The Fascination of Early Color Photography

Autochromes were the first commercial color photographs. Invented in 1904 by the Lumière brothers Auguste and Louis in Paris, color photographs caused a great sensation at the time. They were an innovation and the first way to depict the world in true-to-life color and thus capture it for eternity.

This impressive book was compiled by the two authors Dr. Maria Reitter-Kollmann and Dr. Alfred Weidinger. The scholars are leading experts on the history of color photography at the Oberösterreichische Landes-Kultur GmbH in Linz. The museum holds one of the most important European collections of historical autochromes.

The exciting collection consists of more than 1.000 photographs by photographic pioneers such as the Archduchess, Margarethe of Austria-Tuscany or from the collection of Hans Frank, the founder of the first Austrian photo museum in Bad Ischl. Photographs by important photographers such as Auguste Lumière are also part of this unique collection.

In the coffee table book Autochrome, the authors present the most beautiful and important pieces from this collection in their full glory. In addition to the wonderful pictures, the book also provides a lot of background knowledge about the technique of this first commercially usable color photography. Text in English and German.