Vivid and vibrant : The revolution of colour
By the mid-19th century, the desire to capture the full spectrum of the visible world began to take hold. For decades after the breakthroughs of Daguerre and Talbot, photography was bound to the monochrome, its shades of grey capable of great expression, but lacking the vividness of real life.
Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell made the first significant leap towards colour photography in 1861, producing an image using red, green, and blue filters. However, this method was cumbersome and impractical for widespread use.
It wasn’t until the early 20th century that colour photography became truly accessible, with the Lumière brothers’ introduction of the Autochrome process in 1907. Autochrome, which used dyed grains of potato starch to create soft, vibrant images, was revolutionary. Unlike the sharp monochrome photos of earlier decades, Autochromes offered a painterly effect, echoing the Impressionist style. The arrival of colour transformed photography; it was no longer just about capturing light and shadow, but about conveying the full emotional range of life. Colours told stories, evoked feelings, and added depth in ways black-and-white never could.
Beyond its technical innovation, colour opened new creative horizons. Early photographers, like Heinrich Kühn and Alfred Stieglitz, took cues from Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Kühn’s use of Autochrome resulted in misty, dreamlike images reminiscent of Monet’s landscapes, whilst Stieglitz, influenced by Post-Impressionist painters like Cézanne, embraced colour to explore abstraction and emotional depth in his work.
The introduction of colour, much like the earlier innovations of Daguerre and Talbot, revolutionised not only the technique, but the purpose of photography. Photography was maturing, and was steadily defining itself as it’s own artistic medium.
