The First Colour Photographs of People

Unknown Man

1

1873/76 (?)

Louis Ducos Du Hauron or Unknown German Photographer

Three colour separation

France or Germany

The original source of the image is unknown. Said to have been taken by Du Hauron or a group of German photographers, possibly the circle of H. W. Vogel. A painting dating from 2000 appears to be nearly identical to the photograph.

Unknown

1, 2, 3

Silas Weir Mitchell

Not Online

1890s - 1907

Frederic Ives

Kromogram

USA

Stereo-portrait.

Eastman House

1

Miss Santje

Not Online

1890s - 1907

Frederic Ives

Kromogram

USA

Stereo-portrait. Miss Santje was probably actress Suzanne Santje.

Eastman House

1

“Miss X.”

1

1890s - 1907

Frederic Ives

Kromogram

USA

Stereo-portrait. A transparency made after the portrait was sold on Ebay in 2013.

Unknown

1, 2, 3

Unknown Woman

1

1890s - 1910

Gabriel Lippmann (?)

Lippmann

France

Lippmann Family Collection

1, 2

Unknown Boy

1

1890s - 1910

Gabriel Lippmann (?)

Lippmann

France

Sometimes dated to c. 1910.

Unknown

1

Gabriel Lippmann

1

1890s - 1910

Gabriel Lippmann

Lippmann

France

See below.

Musée de lElysée

1

Gabriel Lippmann

1

1890s - 1910 (c. 1892?)

Gabriel Lippmann

Lippmann

France

It seems more probable that the portraits of Lippmann were taken in the 20th century, perhaps around 1908, since Lippmann appears older than in portraits from the 1890s.

Musée de l'Elysée

1, 2

Unknown Woman

Image Lost

Jul. 1890 (?)

Edward Bierstadt

Three colour separation

New York

See below.

Original lost

1, 2

Edward Bierstadt

Image Lost

Jul. 1890 - Jul. 1891 (?)

Unknown

Three colour separation

New York

In response to a claim of the first colour portrait in Wilson's Photographic Magazine, Edward Bierstadt sent two portraits to Anthony's Photographic Bulletin, one of a lady which he claimed was taken in July 1890 and another of himself which was made within a year. Bierstadt first exhibited colour portraits in 1892.

Original lost

1, 2

Several Blurred People

1

1891 - 1899

Gabriel Lippmann

Lippmann

Saas-Fee, Switzerland

Several people can be seen; they appear blurred due to the long exposure time.

Musée de l'Elysée

1,

2

Ellen A. B. Ives (?)

Not Online

10 Oct. 1891

Frederic Ives

Kromogram

USA

A non-stereo Kromogram titled “Mother”, dated 10 October 1891 is thought to be a photographic portrait of Ives mother.

Eastman House

1

Around three people

1

1893 - 1910

Gabriel and/or Laurence Lippmann

Lippmann

Chougny, Vandoeuvres, Switzerland

Around three people can be seen.

Musée de l'Elysée

1

Unknown Woman

(1)

Summer 1893

Lumière brothers

Lippmann

France

Whereabouts of the original is unknown; a black & white reproduction survives. Presented at the 1893 International Photography Congress in Geneva. Said to be the first portrait taken by the Lippmann process.

Published reproduction; original lost

1, 2

Unknown Girl

1

Summer 1893 (?) - 1910

Lumière brothers (?) or Gabriel Lippmann

Lippmann

France

This picture was in the possession of Gabriel Lippmann at the time of his death. Speculated to have been an outtake from a photo session by the Lumière brothers.

Unknown

1

Joseph Aubrecht

1

1894 - Oct. 1895

Photo Colortype Company

Three colour separation

Chicago

This portrait was published in the October 1895 issue of Wilson's Photographic Magazine. Despite being called "directly from life", the print appears to have been heavily retouched and has little photographic qualities left. Exposure time was reported to be 45 minutes. Taken by the Photo Colortype Company, which started business in 1894.

Published reproduction; original lost

1, 2

Edward Bierstadt

Image Lost

11 Sep. 1894

Unknown

Three colour separation

New York

Bierstadt had himself photographed in colour on his 70th birthday; a print of the resulting photograph was sent to Anthony's Photographic Bulletin. It was hoped that Bierstadt would be photographed in colour 10 years later, in 1904. If he did this or not remains unknown.

Original lost

1

Unknown Woman

1

c. 1895

Frederic Ives

Kromogram

USA

Stereo-portrait of a lady with a hat, dated to "about 1895". The image appears to be a photograph of a painting rather than a photographic portrait.

Unknown

1, 2

Unknown

Image(s) Lost

Before Nov. 1895

Unknown

Unknown

USA

See below.

Original(s) lost

1

Unknown

Image(s) Lost

Before Nov. 1895

John Joly

Joly

Ireland

See below.

Original(s) lost

1

Unknown

Image(s) Lost

Before Nov. 1895

James William McDonough

McDonough

USA

According to Anthonys Photographic Bulletin in November 1895: “We ourselves have made portraits in colors direct, and we have also seen portraits by Joly and McDonough ...”

Original(s) lost

1

Albert Bierstadt

1 (colour corrected)

Before 11 Nov. 1895

Edward Bierstadt

Three colour separation (Collotype print)

(Unknown) possibly New York

All pictures mentioned above have either been lost or could have been taken after 1895. The date when this photo was taken is unknown, but a print was sent by Bierstadt to Elbridge Gerry on 11 November 1895.

Clark Art Institute Library

1, 2, 3

Unknown Man

Unlocated

c. 1897

(David) Cameron Swan

Kromogram

Scotland

Shows the figure of a man seated in front of a thatched hut, probably in Scotland. Posted to the PhotoHistory Yahoo Group on 14 April 2010.

Unknown

1

Unknown Woman

1

c. 1897

James William McDonough (?)

McDonough

USA

Eastman House

1, 2

Ida Saxton McKinley

1

Mar. 1897 - Mar. 1900 (c. 1899?)

Frederic Ives & William N. Jennings

Kromogram

White House Conservatory

Stereo-portrait. Ida McKinley was the first lady of the United States at the time. The Eastman House dates this portrait to c. 1899.

Eastman House

1, 2, 3

Mr. Robinson

1

c. 1898

Frederic Ives

Kromogram

USA

Taken by Frederic Ives for Sir William James Herschel, who later claimed it was the first colour photographic portrait ever taken.

Unknown

1

Gabriel Veyre

1

1898

Gabriel Veyre

Trichrome Lumière

Mexico

Stereoscopic self-portrait taken by Veyre during his around-the-world filmmaking trip in Mexico.

Jacquier-Veyre Collection

1

Unknown Man with Dragon Tattoo

Not Online

1899

Frederic Ives (?)

Kromogram

USA

Non-stereo Kromogram.

Unknown

1

Unknown Woman

1

1899

Unknown

McDonough

Chicago

See below.

National Museum of American History

1

Thomas A. Banning

1

1899

Unknown

McDonough

Chicago

See below. Thomas A. Banning appears as a witness in a patent for a printing press designed for McDonough's colour process. The subject may be Thomas Allen Banning, Sr. (1851 - 1927). A Thomas A. Banning, Jr. gifted some undated McDonough colour transparencies to the Eastman House.

National Museum of American History

1, 2, 3, 4

Miss Edith Banning

1

1900

Unknown

McDonough

Chicago

See below. Subject possibly Edith Banning (c. 1882 - 1928), who was the daughter of Thomas Banning, Sr. (1851 - 1927) mentioned above.

National Museum of American History

1, 2

Miss Nolia Gilchrist

1

1900

Unknown

McDonough

Chicago

None of the above four pictures could have been taken by James William McDonough, as stated by the source, since he died in 1897.

National Museum of American History

1

Levi Hill

1

c. 1850

Levi Hill

Hillotype

New York State

Hill's process only reproduced a small part of the colour spectrum.

National Museum of American History

1

Cléo de Mérode

1

1895 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Marguerite Chenu-Vrignault

1

1895 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Unknown Dancers

1

1895 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Victor Alexander Joseph Warot

1

1895 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Marius Ivanovich Petipa

1

1895 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Unknown Model

1

1895-98 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Unknown Model

1

1895-98 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Unknown Model

1

1895-98 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

See below.

Private collection

1, 2, 3

Cécile Sorel

1

1898 (?)

Louis Amédée Mante

Mantochrome (?)

France

Louis Amédée Mante, a French photographer is rumored to have invented a process similar to Autochrome, dubbed "Mantochrome", in the 1890s. There seems to be no contemporary evidence for this claim, though very little has been published on the subject. It is believed that his "Mantochromes" were colorized black & white photographs re-photographed via the Autochrome process.

Private collection

1, 2, 3