The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-22
PHOTOGRAPHY IN COLORS
A Process Which Science Has Yet
to Make Practicable.
Only. Methods Now Approaching Too
Costly and LnboriOus to He of Much
Use-The PhOtochromoscope Proc
ess-A Frenchmnn's Work Which
Has Attracted Much Attention.

About once in two or three years SONS
of color photography; but the Photographic
world doesn't become wildly excited over
these assertions, as It did formerly. Toe
many of the processes have proved to be
fake, pure and simple. and those founded
upon scientific truth have been only modi-
fcations of earlier discoveries.
Color photography has been d fascinating
problem for scientists ever since the early
part OF this century. In 1910 Prof. Seeteck,
of Jena. made some interesting expert
ments in the reproduction of the natural
colors Of the spectrum, and host of
scientists followed his lead. Becquerel in
1S4S succeeded in reproducing all of tie
hues of the spectrum upon plate covered
with a film of violet subchloride of silver.
and even photographed various objects in
their natural colors. but found no way OF
fixing these tints so that they would stand
exposure to the light.
Other men experimental and obtained
varying results by modified chemical pro-
cesses, but the instability of color bafiled
them, as 1t had baffled Becquerel. 1t was
one thing to understand that muriate Of
silver, through reflection and interference
of light rays among its particles. would
take the colors Of the spectrum, and quite
another thing to fix these colors perma-
aently when they had been obtained.
Many scientists have abandoned the idea
that direct photography .in's color. with
resulting permanent and satisfactory
prints, will ever be obtained- Others, more
optimistic, insist that the thing is a posi-
bility, even though remote soue. In the
mean time what development does occur
lies along one of two lines. either being
based upon the trichromptic theory OF
vision, and composite Photography. or fol-
lowing Lippman's interferential method,
founded upon the law OF wave vibration in
light AZ
discoveries Of Ligpman.
Lippman's discoveries ipr COLOR photog-
raphy were really the iastr to Stir up any
great excitement among ,Scientists. M.
Lippman was professor pof physics in
the sorbonne. with no practical knowledge
Of photography. Not even the kodak mania
had marked him for Its own; but he knew
thing or two about abstract physics. ana
in the course OF lectures to young France
on the subject Of acoustics and the neu-
tralizing Of sound by the meeting OF adj
vancing and reflected sound waves, 1t oc-
CURED to him that the same theories ap-
piled to color wohld produce color photo
graphs.
He turned to photography, and demon
strated his theory to his own satisfaction
and the edifcation Of the scientific world,
but he never attempted to make CONNER
cial profit of his discovery, and went on
serenely iecturfng upon abstract physics.
Ttc results he obtained are what might
be expected 81 so theoretical scientist.
He urquestionably accomplished the near
est thing to pure color photography that
has been achieved, and he INDICATED his
theory, but any practical. application Of his 1
methods TO general purposes is-out of the
question. The process is complicated and
iihicult. and multiplication Of the photo
graphs obtained is impossible. 80 few i'm
pressiona were made BY his method, and :