1922 Kodachrome Film Test.
I’m not a photography buff, but I believe that this may be among the earliest (if not the earliest) experimentation with color motion pictures (not the ones I recall seeing in which each image on the film was hand colored).
I found this fascinating, albeit a bit eerie, seeing these beautiful young girls in living color, full of life and at the same time knowing that, since the making of the film, each of them is now very dead. I often have the same thoughts looking at old photographic images, but this was particularly spooky to me.
Thanks to reader, Dick
From an artistic standpoint this is amazing to be sure, it illustrates though just how far Kodak has fallen from its once lofty position of dominance in the film/camera/photography world. Just remember ….getting a chubby means you should see a therapist.
Oh, you said “spooky”….If they find an early talkie in color or black & white of Custer looking out across the Little Big Horn saying …”Look at all the F-ing Indians, now that would be spooky!
Comment by dudley1 — September 1, 2010 @ 9:59 pm
I get the same feeling Jim when I listen to my Caruso records…
Comment by Mr. Bingley — September 2, 2010 @ 9:25 am
Very nice. I had no idea they had any color photography that early.
I’ve got lots of photos (b&w, of course) from back then that were my grandmother’s. Love looking at pictures and film from back then.
Comment by Dan O — September 3, 2010 @ 7:29 am
If you want to see some REALLY early color film experiments, go here:
http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/oldcolor/technicolor1.htm
The earliest color frame shown is from 1917. “Two strip” Technicolor was in use in the early 1920’s and was used in some Hollywood features in the mid to late 20’s.
Comment by JerseyJerry — September 3, 2010 @ 11:20 am
Oh, Dan, in case you haven’t dropped into this site yet, do it! Many pages of wonderful old pictures.
http://www.shorpy.com/
Comment by JerseyJerry — September 3, 2010 @ 2:18 pm
Not in color, but an extremely cool old Navy film is here.
http://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/u-s-navy-documentary-1915
Comment by dick — September 3, 2010 @ 6:54 pm
… it’s hard to imagine that any of those young beauties could have been our grandparents back in the day…..
Comment by Eric — September 6, 2010 @ 9:44 pm
Those young beauties were about the same age as my grandmothers, in point of fact, Eric…
I have a couple of daguerreotypes that date from (most likely) sometime around 1850… that process was pretty much obsolete by the mid-1850’s. It’s very spooky to realize that the faces staring out at you from those images have been dust for well over a century. But it’s another thing when the images are moving, and in Living Color…
Comment by Elisson — September 7, 2010 @ 8:08 am