100+ year-old original color photographs of Russia

[Wildcat1]

This popped up on my mobile BBC app, thought it was pretty cool.

The quality of these are absolutely fantastic, and these weren't even colored in, but originally done in color.

Also from a historical standpoint, It's really interesting to get such a vivid window into Tsarist Russia.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-17449958

[vorticon]

that is really, really cool.

[oakranger]

WOW.  With the technology to make this happen, would love to see the American Civil War photographs in color. 

[Pigslilspaz]

WOW.  With the technology to make this happen, would love to see the American Civil War photographs in color. 

Unfortunately it probably won't happen. These photos were taken with special film that until today weren't able to be completely developed.

[Karnak]

WOW.  With the technology to make this happen, would love to see the American Civil War photographs in color. 

Those photos were taken in three parts at the time so they were color at the time.  No modern modifications made them color.

[skittish]

Those photos were taken in three parts at the time so they were color at the time.  No modern modifications made them color.

When you say they where taken in three parts. Do you mean three different  film types to get the whole color spectrum. If so is that why a couple of shots look like 3D with out the 3D glasses. In some of the shots my guess some of the people must have moved to cause this effect.

[Karnak]

When you say they where taken in three parts. Do you mean three different  film types to get the whole color spectrum. If so is that why a couple of shots look like 3D with out the 3D glasses. In some of the shots my guess some of the people must have moved to cause this effect.

Probably just different filters, not film types, but yes, that is why you see the color artifacts whenever there was movement.

[MaSonZ]

Truely amazing. Wonder how many people were aware that this type of photography was being used that far back?

[Wildcat1]

double post

[Wildcat1]

Truely amazing. Wonder how many people were aware that this type of photography was being used that far back?

probably not that many until now. according to a caption in one of the photos, he fled the country during the Russian Revolution, and his works ended up in a Parisian basement until 1948. that means they survived not only the Bolshevik uprising, but the war as well. Just imagine if the nazis ended up finding these, they would have been plundered and no one would have ever seen them again. No one would have had any idea this was going on. Not to mention the fact that they could have been destroyed during the battle of Paris. Truly remarkable.

Makes you think of all the priceless artifacts that were lost during the war.

[eagl]

Priceless artifacts are still being lost...  Ancient statues in Afghanistan destroyed by the Taliban, lots of stuff looted from Iraqi museums, etc.  Iraq was pretty modern when it came to their schools, museums, and other cultural sites, but as soon as the cops were gone they looted the place bare.  Most of the stuff that got stolen probably ended up destroyed, darn shame.

At least some other cultural sites are being preserved and hopefully restored then opened to the public to get some tourist dollars helping preserve their history.

I don't have much good to say about many of the cultural values "over there" but the richness of their history (Iraq and that entire region when it was merely "arabia") is undeniable and should not be lost.

[Karnak]

That was pretty sad about the Iraqi museums and the Taliban's destruction of the Buddhas.  It was heartening to see the young Egyptians defend their museums during the unrest in Egypt.