First colour movie

1. The technology

2. The human subject

First colour movie of a person

On 12 September 2012 the National Media Museum in Bradford announced that they had successfully reconstructed some short experimental colour footage made by Edward Raymond Turner (1873–1903), never previously shown, as at the time it had proved impossible to project.

The short sequences (4000 frames in total) have been variously dated as 1902 or 1902–4, with one clip—a scene filmed in London's Knightsbridge, looking East towards Hyde Park Corner, dated as 1901/2—arguably the earliest; but the scene with Turner's children playing with sunflowers is the most convincingly dated, as the summer of 1902. People are discernible in Turner's 1901/2 colour footage of Knightsbridge, while the earliest identifiable people filmed in colour—two boys and a girl (Turner's children Alfred Raymond, Agnes May, and Wilfred Sidney)—all appear in footage from 1902.

Earliest-born person to be filmed in colour

It is known that Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (1832–1914) was filmed in the two-colour Kinemacolor process, but not known whether or not colour footage survives anywhere. The films are listed in the 1913 Kinemacolor catalogue as numbers 265, 'Children's Empire Day Review by Lord Roberts'; 273, 'The Trooping of the Color'; and 290, 'Canadian Troops in London'. (With thanks to arago86 for drawing these to my attention.)

The earliest born person in a surviving colour film is currently believed to be John Burroughs (1837–1921), an American naturalist. He was filmed in 1919 in the Prizmacolor process around his home, Woodchuck Lodge in Roxbury, NY. [arago86]

The earliest-born person to appear in a colour feature film was May Robson (see immediately below). [Thanks to Nik Pham for this information.]

Earliest-born woman to be filmed in colour

Queen Alexandra (1844–1925) was filmed at Royal Ascot in 1909 in the two-colour Kinemacolor process, but it's not known whether or not colour footage survives anywhere. The film is number 173, 'Scenes at English Race Meetings', listed in the 1913 Kinemacolor catalogue. (With thanks to arago86 for drawing these to my attention.)

Mary Jeanette Robison (1858–1942), known professionally as May Robson, played grandmother Lettie Blodgett in the 1937 Technicolor drama A Star is Born (filmed from October to December 1936).

If you know of any suitable examples, please contact me.