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A Short History of Color Photography
Early methods of taking color photographs were to use three cameras, each with a different colored filter in front of the lens. The filters were comprised of the three prime colors red, blue and yellow. The three negatives on glass plates were then superimposed over each other in the darkroom to create the color photograph. The results were less than perfect but it was at least a start in the right direction. A Russian photographer, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorski developed another technique whereas three plates, each of a prime color was taken in very fast succession on top of each other.
It wasn't until about 1900 that a chemist by the name of H. W. Vogel devised the right mixture of chemicals that were sensitive enough to react to light and depict color, he then applied them to photography. In 1907 the French Lumière brothers invented the first color plate called Autochrome. It was basically a filter made from dots that were dyed different colors from potato starch. This was the only color film that was available until a German company called Agfa invented Agfacolor in 1932. In 1935 an American Company ' Kodak ' developed an even better product and called it Kodachrome, the film had chemicals integrated into it from light sensitive, prime colored emulsions.
Even though the availability of color photography has been around since 1909, many if not all photographers only ever used monochrome / black & white film right up into the 1960's as color photographs were many times more expensive to produce. So, like most things, it was down to cost. AT THE FRONT When we think of war, be it World War One or World War Two, the Korean War or the Vietnam War, it is only through the media of photographs and film that we can be shown these times, as most of us have fortunately never experienced this in real life. We have nothing to draw any imagination from, except for photographs and films. Below for example, a WWII Machinegun crew in Russia, photographed with Agfacolor.
With World War One, none of us have any real perspective of this conflict at all, as it was over 90 years ago. We have only ever seen documentaries, movies, images of this era in either grainy black and white, computer enhanced artificial color or tinted in afterwards color. However, a new book entitled ' Endzeit Europa ' and edited by historian Peter Walther, contains within it a set of remarkable images that were taken with real color photography during 1915 and 1916, some facsimiles of which, are presented further down the page. It was thought that the only real color photographs taken during World War One were by the French photographers Léon Gimpel, Paul Castelnau, Jules Gervais-Courtellemont and Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud who took an abundance of color photographs of varying quality during 1914-1918. Below a detachment of French soldiers take time out for a photo opportunity in the trenches of either Verdun, Champagne, Alsace, Marne, Flanders, Mons, Arras, Passchendaele, Ypres, The Somme, Cumbrai ...I'll stop there, as there were way too many slaughter houses to mention them all.
Below a trio of French officers pose next to a Renault supplies lorry in 1917.
Below a Nieuport Biplane is parked up waiting to be rearmed in a field somewhere in the area of Soissons, Aisne, France. Summer of 1917
It is now apparent that the Germans also took color photographs, with the help of Hans Hildenbrand. Hildenbrand started experimenting with what was called "autochrome " color technique in early 1909, and later founded a society for color photography in 1911 in his home city of Stuttgart as a result. During the First World War, that was fought between the years 1914 -1918, Hans Hildenbrand, who was part of a war photographic group, took photos of German soldiers in and around the Alsace and Champagne areas of France. The photographs were taken between 1915 and 1916, he was actually one of nineteen photographers, but was the only one to utilize color photography. Hildenbrand was forbidden to take photographs of cannons, big gun emplacements or panoramic views of the front lines and their defensive capabilities for obvious reasons, but apart from that he could take photos of everything else.
_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_ The Photographs _-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_--_-*-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_ All of the people in the photographs had to pose in a static position for several seconds because in 1915, the photographic media needed a long exposure before the chemicals reacted to the light. These images have not been enhanced in anyway, they are as they were taken, over 90 years ago. I believe that the quality of these photographs is much better than the ones that the French photographers took. Below, this photo was taken in the summer of 1915, and it features a view of the French village Sainte-Marie-a-Py. Most of the buildings have no roofs and are damaged, as the war hardly left any buildings untouched that were close to the front lines
All buildings close to the front were either reduced to rubble or left severely damaged, this was due to all the heavy artillery barrages that these once peaceful villages were subjected too. Below, several German soldiers congregate in a ruined street, one of the soldiers wears the arm band of a medical orderly.
 Below is a photograph of a two man machine gun post, one soldier was normally the 'spotter' looking over No-mans Land with binoculars, who then helped to load and maintain the gun during firing.
Most World War One heavy machine guns like the 7.92mm belt fed Maxim were water cooled and were not maintenance free like most guns are today, that just need a drop of oil and some light cleaning. Teams of men ( firing teams ) took it in shifts to man this machinegun and the other 12,500 like it along the German trenches, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, come rain or shine. The Maxim was actually developed and manufactured in the USA and this machinegun was probably responsible for 90% of the deaths of British, Anzac, French and Americans in WWI. The German heavy machinegun, as pictured below was named the Maschinengewehr 08, it was an exact and direct copy of the Maxim...and as the old saying goes..." If it works, why fix it ? "
Soldiers along other sections of the trenches also spent a fair amount of time looking over into No-mans land for any sign of the enemy, who might try to launch an offensive attack. It may surprise my viewers to see how deep First World War trenches actually were, as ladders, ledges or crates were used by the soldiers to see over the parapet. It was unadvisable in many instances not to actually look over the top of a trench, as eagle eyed enemy snipers could pick you off, so the soldiers in the trenches actually made peep holes to look through.
This is why people who smoke cigarettes are superstitious about " The third light " as explained below.
Below, soldiers pose and supposedly look out over No-mans land. In all probability this photograph was taken at a place where the enemy was out of range, like the rear guard trenches. Standing like this at 'the front' would just be asking for a snipers bullet to put a parting in your hair.  Below is a scene over Hartmannsweilerkopf taken in 1916. The German troops had been stationed around this mountain since early 1915 and had ' dug in ' as the mountain was seen as a very strategic position. I would like to add here that any high rise in the terrain was usually seen as an advantage to hold, as it offered excellent observation qualities of the surrounding area.  Below is another scene over a different area of Hartmannsweilerkopf, in the Vosge mountain range, or at least what's left of it, as the area was under heavy bombardment for several weeks and this is testified by all the trees that have lost their branches and foliage by shell bursts.
Below, during 1916, this photo was taken in a trench in Alsace and shows the previous nights snowfall. Also, you may notice a box of German stick grenades that is fixed on the side of the trench, to be used in emergencies. They were heavy things, and soldiers didn't like carrying them around, tucked into their belts or boot for days on end.
Below is a summer time view of the trenches as men and officers try to relax during a cessation in hostilities. At some point a very close shell burst has blown a tree over the top of the trench
Further behind the lines, encampments were set up, these were places to repair weapons and prepare ammunition and other supplies for delivery to the front.  Judging by the fact that all the trees are still intact I would say that the photo below was taken quite some distance from the front, although in the foreground there is some indication of a trench. If any of you viewers reading this page have any idea what that pile of material is in the trench, then please do email me.
_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-*-_-_-*-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_ Endzeit Europa: Links _-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-*-_-_-*-_-*-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_-_-*-_ The book about the German Army in the trenches of the Great War called ' Endzeit Europa ' is now available in all good German book stores ! Although I am sure it will be available in the USA and UK very soon. But for now you can order it from Germany if you wish. click on the images below to go to the internet stores
Some more color (or at least colorful ) photos that were taken during World War One. click image below
Color photos from 1909 to 1915 by the Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorski. click image below
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Experiments in color photography were actually started at around the 1850's, but the problem was that the photographs could not be 'fixed' to hold the color and consequently after a short time, the color would fade. It wasn't until 1861 that the first permanent color photograph was successfully taken by the physicist James Clerk Maxwell.
In 1936 Agfa emulated the same type of process and called it 'Agfacolor New' whereas
the integrated application of the color emulsions was improved. This system of creating color photographs remained practically unchanged right up to the recent advent of digital photography. Digital Cameras, incidentally, have all but rendered camera roll film such as the 35mm, obsolete. As an additional note, instant color photographs were introduced by Polaroid in 1963 and this was further expanded on with the Polaroid Instant Land camera, in the 1980's.
Polaroid now no longer make the film for this camera, as modern digital technology had consigned it straight into the rubbish bin.
