Who Invented Color Photography? (Grades 7-12)

F32 Tartan ribbon photographed by James Clerk Maxwell (1861). [From Heinz Richter, "The History of Color Photography," courtesy of F32 magazine.]

May is a terrific month for shutterbugs like me. Drifts of white trillium are blooming, the spring rains have turned my winter brown grass to bright green, and the industrious black and white hairy woodpecker has returned to hammer away at the old tree in my backyard. The colors, both soft and bright, are amazing. It's lovely to be able to capture them on film. As I snapped away, I paused to wonder what genius invented color photography. As part of our celebration of National Photography Month, I decided to find out.

Researching the question has proved to be as interesting as the answer itself. One source claimed the process was patented as early as November 23, 1863. If that's true, who held the patent? As I researched this question, I received email messages from photographers and art historians around the world. I learned that no one person is credited for inventing color photography. Typical of many science and technology advances, innovations in color photography were being made by different people in different places at about the same time--between 1856 and 1862.

The dawn of color photography appears to have occurred in the 1850s when American Levi L. Hill claimed to have invented a process that allowed him to produce photographs exhibiting natural colors. The process produced not only colorful pictures, but also colorful threats against Hill by members of the New York State Daguerrean Association. In 1856, Hill published a book describing his process, and also railing against the New York State Daguerrean Association. The Dagguerrean Association immediately went to court and was able to stop the sale of the book on the basis that it was libelous. By the time Hill died in 1865, Hillotype, the name Hill gave to his process, was essentially regarded as a myth in the history of photography. Then, in the 1980s, art historian Joseph Boudreau read a copy of Hill's book and was able to reproduce the process, providing evidence that substantiated Hill's claim.

A major breakthrough in color photography occurred in 1861. In that year, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell created a color image by projecting three photographic images, each through a different colored filter, onto a screen. The three images overlapped, thus mixing the colors on the screen and producing a color image. A year later, the French inventor Louis Ducos du Hauron designed a camera that would make three separate negatives with one exposure, and in 1870, he developed a method of creating color images on paper.

Connections

The multidisciplinary nature of color photography integrates science and technology with art, social studies, and history. The physics of color explains how the electromagnetic spectrum and wavelengths of visible light produce color. Clerk mixed colors of light to achieve his color photograph. Painters mix colors too. Since the colors that the painters use are pigment colors, this might be a good time to differentiate between the primary colors of visible light and those of pigments. You can also branch off into the subject of color perception and color-blindness.

The early history of color photography is a great topic for students to research. It provides a good opportunity for you to show your students how to take advantage of the wealth of information available on the Internet and to develop informed questions to ask the experts. With a little bit of luck, they'll receive conflicting information, which provides a teachable moment for helping students develop their higher-order thinking as they evaluate information based on the source and its agreement with other reputable sources.

In conjuction with learning about color photography, students can also explore the chemistry of film exposure. Finally, some students may be interested in exploring the career of photographer. Others might be interested in finding out more about James Clerk Maxwell and his contributions to science.

Web Resources

1. How Did We Get Here?
   
   http://www.naa.org/technews/tn971112/p6how.htm
   This article, tracing the development of newspaper photography, describes the contributions of Louis Daguerre and Louis du Hauron.
   
   
2. Hills' Color Photography
   
   http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1220.htm
   Visit this site to read about Levi Hill and his battle with the New York Daguerrean Association.
   
   
3. A History of Photography
   
   http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/
   Not only is this site a terrific source of information, but the author, Professor Robert Leggat, is extremely responsive to questions from young people about photography.
   
   
4. Photography
   
   http://www.surfnetkids.com/photo.htm
   Barbara Feldman's Surfing the Net with Kids page offers a list of reader-reviewed sites about photography.
   
   
5. Light and Color
   
   http://www.fi.edu/color/color.html
   How do we see color? This online exhibit from the Franklin Institute explores the science of color, from light and wave theory to the physiology of vision and how color affects our mood.
   
   

Ready-to-Go Activities

1. Multimedia Activities: Additive and Subtractive Color
   
   http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspResourcesForCourse&CourseID=311
   This series of online optics activities includes Shockwave demonstrations of additive and subtractive color theory.
   
   
2. Color and the Spectrum
   
   http://acept.la.asu.edu/PiN/mod/light/colorspectrum/pattLight3.html
   Part of a larger unit on optics, this module uses simple lenses to explore the world of light, color, and the electromagnetic spectrum.
   
   
3. CD Spectroscope
   
   http://littleshop.physics.colostate.edu/CD_Spectroscope.html
   A spectroscope is a device that separates light into its component colors by using a diffraction grating. Have your students see how this works by building a spectroscope with an old compact disc. The concentric rings of the CD act as a diffraction grating if the light hits them just right.
   
   
4. Seeing Spots
   
   http://littleshop.physics.colostate.edu/Spots.html
   This "intimate computer activity" from the Little Shop of Physics shows how the pixels of your computer use additive color mixing to produce a variety of hues.
   
   

Classroom Resources from the ENC Collection

1. Fun with photography
   Date: 1996 Grade(s): 4 - 8 Cost: Out of Print ENC#: 008573
   Using a playful approach to stimulate children's curiosity, this kit introduces children to the art and science of photography through a series of hands-on activities and experiments.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
2. Photography
   Date: 1996 Grade(s): 3 - 6 Cost: $12.00 - $150.00 ENC#: 013202
   This book shows students how to be a photographer, from setting up a darkroom and knowing the properties of light, to understanding the structure of cameras, to doing simple film processing.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
3. It's a colorful life
   Date: 1999 Grade(s): 6 - 8 Cost: $6.00 - $15.00 ENC#: 017124
   This book contains six experiments that explore additive and subtractive color mixing. In addition to engaging the student, the experiments are based upon a learning cycle model, and they are correlated to national standards.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
4. The magic wand and other bright experiments on light and color
   Date: 1995 Grade(s): 6 - 12 Cost: $10.95 ENC#: 012230
   Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue and sunsets are red? This book presents more than 20 experiments that explore light and color.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
5. Art in chemistry; chemistry in art
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): 7 - 12 Cost: $26.50 ENC#: 013863
   The demonstrations and hands-on activities in this teacher's guide use art projects to motivate students who have little or no interest in chemistry. Extensive background explanations are provided.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
6. Photography: preserving the past
   Date: 1991 Grade(s): 5 - 12 Cost: $13.95 - $466.70 ENC#: 010405
   This book focuses on the impact of photography on the modern world, tracing the concepts and ideas preceding each development and highlighting the men and women behind the achievements.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
7. Photography
   Date: 1996 Grade(s): 5 - 12 Cost: Out of Print ENC#: 014599
   This reference book presents the development of photography, including the pioneers of photography, photographic processes, and the growing importance of developing a photographic record of daily events.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   

Teacher Resources from the ENC Collection

1. The chemistry of black and white photography
   Date: 1991 Grade(s): 9 - Post-Sec. Cost: $15.00 ENC#: 012717
   This monograph explains the chemistry behind the production of a black and white photograph, from the composition of film to processing the final photographic image. In addition to content information, the monograph provides bibliographic references and transparency masters.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
2. Imagine a green tomorrow: a visual learning environmental project guide
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): 5 - 12 Cost: Free ENC#: 015297
   Available free from Polaroid, this teacher's guide offers ideas for using photography to help students transfer knowlege from textbook science to the ecological world.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
3. Color analyzers: teacher's guide
   Date: 1993 Grade(s): 5 - 9 Cost: $5.00 - $31.50 ENC#: 002653
   With this teacher's guide, you can help your students investigate light and color while experimenting with diffraction gratings and color filters. The activities integrate art and science, and develop observation, prediction, and data recording skills.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
4. The color of nature
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Date: 1996 Grade(s): K - Post-Sec. Cost: $10.95 ENC#: 012285
   This book explains the science behind the brilliant colors of nature. Descriptions of pigments, interference patterns, and light are illustrated with photographs that demonstrate the physiological function of color in photosynthesis, pollination, camouflage, and defense. The authors even share photography tips!
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   

Search Strategies

Find more materials by searching Curriculum Resources on ENC Online using these terms: Chemistry, Color, Electromagnetic spectrum, Photography, or Physics.

Connections to Standards

Realizing that there are many ways to use this Classroom Calendar entry, we chose these standards because they relate to the entry, in full or in part. If you want to explore the standards further, please use the link(s) provided.

Connections to NSES
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Understanding about inquiry (9-12)
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do inquiry (5-8)
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do inquiry (9-12)
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Understanding about inquiry (5-8)
Content Standard B: Physical Science: Properties and changes of properties in matter (5-8)
Content Standard B: Physical Science: Chemical reactions (9-12)
Content Standard E: Science and Technology: Understanding about science and technology (5-8)
Content Standard E: Science and Technology: Understanding about science and technology (9-12)
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Science and technology in society (5-8)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor (9-12)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Nature of scientific knowledge (9-12)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Historical perspectives (9-12)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor (5-8)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Nature of science (5-8)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: History of science (5-8)