New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-15
PHOTOGRAPHING COLORS.
A SIMPLE METHOD.

WOntcu interest IN Photographic matters.
Similar reports have been made before. but never
with so good ground for belief In the present case
professor Of the Paris Academy of sciencestiabrie
Lppmann-has shown 10 his colleagues Of the academy
cOlOred plates that are exact reproductions OF the
originals. and which do not fade, in any way
dctcriorate exposure strong light. The principle
of the method employed by Professor Lppmann is very
simple. lie sensitive film Of a chemical nature
which possesses the essential characteristic Of con-
tinuity. That Is to say, the processes in use in
which the sensitive substance Is disseminated in the
form of grains, cannot be employed Moreover the
sensitive film should have for It's back rejecting
metallic surface. Development and fixing are done
with the aid of the reagents commonly used In pho
Biography.
visited Professor Lippmann in his laboratory at the
Sorbonne shown some Of his colored plates. They
werc all Of the solar spectrum, and the correspondent
reports that all Of the cOOrs of the rainbow there,
including the infrared and the ultraviolet invisible to
our eyes The plates had registered them and kept an
impression OF hem showing themselves in this respect
superior to the human eye. These two mysterious
coOrs represented in their proper places by two
distinct stripes, apparently Of etblack color, ap
parcntly because h is only imperfect vision which
make them to their real coors, Of course,
being infa-red and ultraviolet. The other colors be-
tween these two, red orange green, blue, vivid
as any objects in nature.
AS was examining these plates" the reporter
writes, "an assistant to say that cOlOred photo
graph the first Of stained window, had Just been
taken ont Of the development BATH and In splendid
condition. The stained window, as saw on proceed
ing to the dark ROOM was most primitive affair."
four pieces OF coored glass, green. yellow, red and
blue sodered together. This is all could put to-
gether' explained NJ. Lppmann but it is quite sui
fcient for my purpose The plate, which was not
vet fixed was taken out Of its box for few seconds
only The colors were there and rendered with pho
tographic faithfulness second plate was undergoing
exposure, the image Of the stained glass design being
thrown upon it by means Of sort Of magic lantern
lighted by electricity. The plate pressed against
the opening of trough filed with mercury, which
formed a mirror in contact with the plate
Light like sound as is we'll known, Is but form Of
motion. Both appear to propagate themselves by
waveike motion, similar to the rlpples on a pond,
curious property of sound or light waves is that when
they meet another Of equal length coming In an
opposite direction the conflicting waves overlap each
other the continuity is broken, and succession Of
dark and light, silent and loud intervals is produced
French physician at the beginning Of this century,
Napoleon Savart. the dscOverer OF the phenomenon
called Interference of sound. If the ear is placed at
short distance off a sounding echoing plate and grad
ualy drawn away ii will be observed that the sound al
ternaely dies away and comes back with twofold in
ensiy. The explanation Of this is that the waves OF
sound, the direct and reflex waves, alternately neu
trallze and reinforce each other
Some time ago it occurred to VI. Lippmann that II.
instead of continuous of light crossing the pho
tOgfaphic plate, a broken line introduced by Inter
ference it, the silver instead OF being
precipltatcd I'm one mass throughout the gelatinO-
bromide would settle in layers about the thickness OF
the soap bubble. BY placing looking glass behind
the plate, the red light. for instance, caused the silver
to be deposited in layers Of half the thickness Of red
wave length. Blue light would the layers
to be somewhat thicker wherever passed. but these
layers colncidng exactly they do with the length
Of a wave Of light only pass the light which
originated them. This is the whole principle OF VI.
Lippmanns remarkable discovery, and practice show,
that it will work in the of the solar spectrum
aud Of stained windows Whether it may be applied
to landscapes and portraits remains to be seen.
The history Of the search for color photography Is
very interesting. Becqueel took up the problem az
early as 1249 and the coors that he had obtained at
that time still to be seen on the plates which he
has retained in his possession. II may therefore be
said that these colors permanent since they have
survived a period OF more than forty years without
undergoing any change: but these plates cannot bo
exposed to the light and have to be kept in obscury
This objection does not eAist in the Of Mr.. Lipp
manns plates, and the ns which he obtains by well
known process in physics are I'm no manner affected by
the action OF light. Only last summcr the report
circulated that Veress, Austrian photographer,
had successfully photographed the coors Of nature but
upon investigation it was found that he had really
year before.
II has always been the dVeam Of photographers n
reproduce the pictures Of nature by their cameras
with all The charm Of her perfect coloring. and many
have BEEN the experiments TO discover the secret BY
which this may be done. Great Improvements have
been made in other departments of Photographic work.
ana the science a. whole has made wonderful prog
ess. especially within the last ten years; but nom
discovering the secret of phOographing in natural
colors have seemed 10 be far of when phoOg
aphy first introduced to the world until these
results Of Professor Lippmann exhibited at the
Paris Academy Of sciences February Of this year
Orthochromatic. or color-correct, photography was
the nearest approach TO the photoC aphng of natural
coorS and by this method could be obtained very beau
uful results.
Yellow green and red could be Photographic so that
they could easily he distinguished in the finished
picture. whetcaS formerly difference whatever could
be seen between these colors in the photo
graph. In Ike manner blue. violet and indigo might
be photographed so that difference was shown in
their color values instead of all being reproduced per
fcctly white. previously the A bright
yellow colp on the Old ordinary plate, as every one
knows. always photographed dull black, and
very dark and dull blues would appear clear Whites
though in the natural subject they were much darker
than the yellow which appeared quite black in the
photograph.
This untrue result was obtained on the ordinary
plato because yellow like green and red is non
actnic or photocraphcally inactive color: while blue
and the colorS at the other end the spectrum
very powerful in actlnc rays II therefore happened
that the non lctiuic coors whether bright dull, I'M
pressed the sensitive plate but eebly and In the same
dcsnc. because 80 little Photographic light was trans
mitted flom these cJlors while the blue, the violet
and the indigo shades, matec how duh they might
appear in natur being very active geographically
impressed the sensitive plate 10 great degree and
came ont IN the photograph much brighter tlan INC
yellow, and reds which We're in reality moe brilliant
col
Thus the beautiful sun painted pictures OF nature
as we'll as those painted by the hand Of man. could
not be- accurately reproduced by The BY
Of OrthochrOmac photography, however, the correct
color values OF nature, Of painting were copied,
and thu, Il harmonious and natural effect given
To the photograph
The result, of Professor Lippmann'S very bcauti
full The color> take brightness only 10 be com
pared with the pri>matc hucs of a welcut GolcOnda
diamond. one sees the coorS well in daylight or
IN, nnni.ul Tim In lit-cf