The Washington times., 1908-01-22
COLORED PICTURES
MADE BY CAMERA
Washington Photographer
Demonstrates Lumiere
Process to Artists.
Expense of the Plates Makes
Experiments Almost
PrOhibitiVe.

Portraits in the colors of nature by
photography are now possible. Photo
graphic invention has at last solved the
problem which for fifty years has
puzzled the brains cot Photographic
chemists, and driven many an inyestl-
gator to despair.
II has been the good fortune OF w.
II. Towles, a Washington photographer,
10 demonstrate the possibility of max
ing portraits BY the Lumiere process.
Mr. TOwles has given a demonstration
OF his work before the Capital Camera
Club. which has been much interested
in the subject Of color photography.
The portraits secured by Mr.. TOWles
have the fidelity IN drawing customary
10 photographs. In addition to correct
drawing they give color accurate in
tone. in all Of the known colors. with
the exception Of yellow. This color is
reproduced as yellow. but not with the
same fidelity common TO other coIors.
Correct Exposure Difficult.
The best OF the three photographs
shown at the Camera Club was a por-
trait Of a young lady attired In a green
gown. The superior quality of this por-
trait was not due to the color Of the
gown, but TO the fact that the photo
graph was correctly timed. Correct ex-
posure is the most necessary and at
the same time the most difficult feature
Of this new art.
Other examples showed excellent color
tones. In one the delicate COlOrs OF
the amethyst, the emerald, and the
pure quality or the diamond were dis
cernable in articles OF jewelry worn
by the model
The photographs were upon glass,
commonly known as tTansparenCies. and
could only be inspected by transmitted
light. The Lumlere Photographic plates
upon which these portraits were made
consist of q glass covered with an ad-
heS!Ve emulsion upon which coating
OF starch grains dyed with COlOrs of
violet, green, and red, is placed. The
grains did not overlap each other, and
the intervening spaces were filled with
carbon on this coating a gel4tine
emulsion, sensitive 70 all COlors was
placed. and the plate was placed in
the camera with the glass side toward
the lens. Development consisted Of sew
eral ChemiC-1 treatments Of the plate,
requiring a tout twenty-five minutes
in all
Expense Prohibitive.
The expense of the plate is almost
prohlbiuve. as SIS dozen for the SKI
size, necessary developer for a dozen
plates at q cost Of about s. and
special ray filter costing many times
more than the customary filter, makes
photography OF this kind an expensive
experiment. It Is at present largely eX-
detrimental and will remain so until such
q knowledge of tho plates as viii en-
able the photographer to estimate the
time OF exposure has been obtained.
With a rapid portrait lens, in a we'll
lighted studio, on a bright day, IL IS
possible 10 make fully timed photographs
with an exposure Of sixty seconds.
The possibilities Of this Gttle-knOWn
Lumiere process are as yet but imper-
fectly realized When It is remembered
that the discoveries Of Daguerre gave
but little promise at the first that pOr-
traiture would be possible BY this proc
ess. IL IS easy to understand how the
remarkable discovery Of Lumiere, yet
in its infancy, opens as great a field
for color as did the earlier discovery
for monochrome.