50 American Autochromes
The U.S. in color at the start of the 20th century
Amanda Uren
1910s-1930s
These Autochromes - the first commercially available color photographic process - were taken by National Geographic Society photographers. The Society eventually moved on to other slightly more advanced photographic processes and finally to Kodachrome by 1938, but not before amassing a collection of more than 12,000 Autochromes.In July 1914, National Geographic magazine published its first natural color photograph. The photograph not only demonstrated the Autochrome photographic technique, but also that the photograph could be reproduced on the page of a magazine. The magazine's cover style thus changed from a list of contents to an image from the lead story.These photographs were taken by National Geographic Society photographers using early Autochrome, the first commercially available color photographic process. The society eventually moved on to other more advanced processes and finally to Kodachrome by 1938, but not before amassing a collection of more than 12,000 Autochromes.
This series captured many aspects of American life, culture and scenery. A number of the photographs depict American Indians — one shows the site of a proposed monument to the 7th Cavalry at Little Big Horn; the group includes two members of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation.A favorite of National Geographic, the rodeo showed American people at leisure. The competitors' bright costumes were an ideal subject for Autochrome cameras.Another image pictures workers shoveling sulphur, which was used as a fertilizer, pesticide and also in pharmaceuticals. One of its most important uses was to stiffen the rubber used in tire manufacturing, a process known as vulcanization.Store owners and craftsmen are featured too. Hopi basket makers and potters may have been selling to the increasing number of tourists in certain U.S. regions. Increased leisure time and growing affluence enabled people the means to explore areas of natural beauty and national monuments.Leisure grew into an industry in itself, with an infrastructure of guides and signs, even new jobs, such as coastguards to rescue swimmers and sailors in difficulty. National Geographic itself became a tourism aid by showing these places to the American public.
Finally, a number of Autochromes here depict a bustling New York City. In 1930, New York was the most heavily populated urban area in the world. Skyscrapers were first seen at the turn of the century, made possible by the invention of the elevator by Elisha Otis, and the use of steel frameworks. They housed New York's businesses and offices in a city short on living space. These images show New York as it entered the full decade of the Great Depression.
