Russia 100 years ago - in colour

[Thor's Hammer]

http://imgur.com/a/cxMZT#0

With images from southern and central Russia in the news lately due to extensive wildfires, I thought it would be interesting to look back in time with this extraordinary collection of color photographs taken between 1909 and 1912. In those years, photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) undertook a photographic survey of the Russian Empire with the support of Tsar Nicholas II. He used a specialized camera to capture three black and white images in fairly quick succession, using red, green and blue filters, allowing them to later be recombined and projected with filtered lanterns to show near true color images. The high quality of the images, combined with the bright colors, make it difficult for viewers to believe that they are looking 100 years back in time - when these photographs were taken, neither the Russian Revolution nor World War I had yet begun. Collected here are a few of the hundreds of color images made available by the Library of Congress, which purchased the original glass plates back in 1948. ( Via http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/russia_in_color_a_century_ago.html )

 

[MasterBlaster]

Well alrighty then.

 

[stig]

Thanks, Ed.
Fantastic pictures.
My best friend is married to a Russian operatic coloraturo soprano ( and sometimes complains about her temper)

I'll send those pictures on to them.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Thanks, Ed.
Fantastic pictures.
My best friend is married to a Russian operatic coloraturo soprano ( and sometimes complains about her temper)

I'll send those pictures on to them.

I mainly put this up for your benefit. I knew you'd like it.

I would have emailed it, but thought maybe a few other treehousers would like it.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The area around Chernobyl is going back to being wild, species of wildlife and an eco system showing up that had previously disappeared. If you ever get the chance, see the movie, 'Alexi's Spring', about the elderly residents and one young man of a village, that have chosen to remain in the high radiation zone. The lives there are centered around a wonderful water spring that has remained pure and free from the fallout. I am friends with the man that went over there to direct the movie, a super cool guy.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Amazing photos. I love the clothing. Buildings and cities also fascinate me from that period. Good find Ed. Sure would be interesting to visit Russia someday.

 

[gf beranek]

Thanks, Ed. It's true, color does make them look more recent.

 

[Bodean]

I like.

 

[stig]

That photographer sure got around.
The last picture is from Samarkand.
My parent, who are really well travelled people, went there for their 50 year anniversary.
Tourists were an unknown thing in Ushbekistan at that time, and probably is today, so they had a grand time.

My folks are in their 80es and pretty much put together from spare parts.
My dad has 2 new eye lenses, 1 new hip and 1 new knee.
Mom has 2 new lenses ( looks like I'm genetically disposed towards kataracts) and had a new knee put in last week.

This summer they are going to Outer Siberia.

 

[bstewert]

Great pics! Altho I never knew them, my grandparents were from the Georgia region. Thanks for posting.

 

[Labour of Love]

I'm amazed that the photographer was clever enough to shoot with primary filters to make it look like color photos. Thanks for posting this - I really enjoyed it.