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Eder, Josef M., History of Photography, transl. E. Epstein, New
York: Dover, 1978. (More easily available. Illustrated in
Black and White.)
Friedman, J.S., History of Color Photography, Boston: American
Photographic Publishing Co., 1944.
Frizot, Michel (editor), A New History of Photography, Koln:
Konemann, 1999.
Genard, Paul and Barret, Andre, Lumiere: les premieres photog-
raphies en couleurs (Lumiere: the fi rst color photographs),
Paris: Andre Barret edit., 1974.
Hofel, K. opten and Gohr, S., Farbe im photo (Color in Photography),
Koln: Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, 1981 (exhibition catalog).
Newhall, Beaumont, History of Photography, New York: Museum
of Modern Art, 1988.
Rayleigh, Lord (William Strutt), Wave Propagation in a Medium
with Periodic structure, London: in Philosophical Magazine,
24/(5)/158, 1887.
Sipley, Louis W., A Half Century of Color, New York: Macmil-
lan, 1951.
Sobieszek, Robert A., Color as Form, Rochester: George Eastman
House, 1982 (exhibition catalog).
Wall, E.J., History of Three Color Photography, Boston: Ameri-
can Photographic Publishing Company, 1925.
Wiener, Otto, Color Photography by Means of Body Colors,
and Mechanical Color Adaptation in Nature, Washington,
D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1898 (167–205 in Smithsonian
Report for 1896).
Wood, John, The Art of the Autochrome, Iowa City: U. of Iowa
Press, 1993.
COLOURING BY HAND
When the fi rst daguerreotype images were produced,
many people were disappointed that the photographs
did not refl ect the true colours of nature. The cold
appearance of the monochrome metal plate could be
unfl attering for portraiture. Lines and blemishes were
often emphasised by the process. Some colours in nature
did not respond well on the daguerreotype and the pho-
tographer and entrepreneur, Richard Beard (1802–88)
warned against black, white and violet clothing as these
colours did not represent themselves well. He promoted
silk and satin due to the play of light on these surfaces.
The introduction of hand colouring helped to hide these
discrepancies and added warmth and natural fl esh tones
to a portrait, complementing the sitter.
Not all photographers agreed with the introduction
of hand tinting, however, the renowned American pho-
tographers Southworth and Hawes believed it unneces-
sary. Francois Arago, the scientist and secretary of the
Academie des Sciences believed hand colouring ruined
the natural daguerreotype image. He stated that:
‘to hand-tint a lovely image, even by the hand of an artist
of repute, is as if one should set a sign painter to retouch
the wings of a butterfl y.’
Despite these criticisms, hand-tinting soon caught on
with the public and provided extra income for photog-
raphers. Most photographic studios charged extra for a
tinting service. In 1853 Hay and Wilson of Aberdeen
charged from12/6d to one guinea extra for this service.
Hand colouring was an extremely skilled task and
was carried out by a colourist. Most colourists were
former miniaturist painters, many of whom had lost
their previous career with the introduction of portrait
photography. As reported here in The Photographic
News Feb, 1859, 255:
‘There can be no doubt whatever that the miniature paint-
er’s ‘vocation’ is gone...By the old system of miniature
painting about a score of sittings were necessary...while
now by means of photography, only one sitting of half an
hour is necessary in order to produce the most elaborate
and fi nished miniature.’
Colourists would make a tracing of the portrait
on glass and then a paper stencil was made for each
colour. The dry powder colour with gum arabic was
shaken over the stencil or applied with a fi ne camel-hair
brush. By breathing on the plate, the gum arabic was
thus fi xed to the plate. Alternatively, the plate would be
painted with a thin layer of gum arabic, then breathed
on to make it sticky. With a fi ne brush the powder pig-
ment was applied carefully. There were occasionally
mistakes, but most colourists were masters of their art.
Later with the introduction of paper prints, albumen
paper was tinted in various colours, some of which
have now faded.
Daguerreotype portraits where the sitter is wearing
jewelery were often highlighted with real gold, or the
plate was scratched away to reveal the silver under-
neath. This was highlighted and glimmered when it
caught the light. Richard Beard patented colouring
Daguerreotypes in 1842. He had opened the fi rst pho-
tographic portrait studio in London in 1841 on hearing
of the success of the fi rst studio in New York. Beard
produced fi ne hand tinted examples such as “Portrait of
Fanny and Henry Mason.” C. 1852 7.5 × 10 cm (quarter
Plate). The delicate quality of the lace is beautifully
emulated, as are the subtle fl esh tones. The sitter is
placed in front of a painted backdrop of a stormy dark
blue sky and a column to give depth to the composition.
The gold is brought out of the necklace and ring.
Antoine Francois Jean Claudet (1797–1867), a
French born photographer who moved to England, was
one of the earliest photographers to use hand-colour-
ing and his technique was one of the fi rst to be used in
the manuals on photography. As early as 1844, he was
colour tinting his daguerreotypes and using painted
backdrops to give added depth to the composition. As
the idea caught on, there were soon several photogra-
phers using the hand colouring technique. Claudet’s
was however, considered one of the best in Europe.
Even his French rival Alexis Gouin praised Claudet
for his beautifully coloured portraits. It was thanks to
Claudet’s skillful colourist that he was able to achieve
COLOR THEORY AND PRACTICE: 1860–1910
