Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky is a pioneer of color photography, who captured Russia at the beginning of the last century in color for posterity.

Photographer and scientist, inventor and public figure, a man who was significantly ahead of his time. Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky was born on August 18 (30 according to the new style) 1863 and left behind more than two and a half thousand color photographs, looking at which you cannot say that they were taken more than a hundred years ago.

He photographed landscapes and landmarks Tsarist Russia, famous personalities, meteor showers and solar eclipses; Emperor Nicholas II himself was impressed by his work. An extensive collection of his works is now housed in the US Library of Congress and is available in digitized form to everyone.

A pioneer of digital photography in Russia, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky came from an old noble family. According to legend, the founder of the house was a Tatar prince who converted to Orthodoxy and fought on the side of Dmitry Donskoy in the Battle of Kulikovo. The Prokudin-Gorsky family included soldiers, diplomats, and writers.

The son of Mikhail Prokudin-Gorsky was born on the family estate, attended the Alexander Lyceum, and later attended lectures at St. Petersburg University. According to some information, he studied with Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev (he was in charge of a laboratory at the university at that time). However, for some reason, Sergei left the university and studied for some time at the Imperial Military Medical Academy(which I also did not graduate from).

Among his interests were painting and music - one of his biographers says that in his youth the future photographer was seriously involved in playing the violin, but due to a hand injury he received in a chemical laboratory, he was forced to give it up.

In 1890, Sergei began studying government activities, namely, he entered the service at the House of Charity for Workers, which was later transformed into a women's commercial school. In the same year, he married Anna Lavrova, whose father was involved in metallurgy and headed a partnership of specialized factories.

For some time, Prokudin-Gorsky studied chemistry, and was even a member of the chemical-technological department of the Imperial Russian Technical Society. But he soon became interested in photography and in 1898 he joined the photographic department of the IRTS. Perhaps it was then that he began to think about creating color photography.

In 1901, he opened his own photographic workshop in St. Petersburg, and then even headed the specialized magazine “Amateur Photographer”. A year later, he was already working in Germany, in Charlottenburg, under the guidance of Professor Adolf Mithe, who developed his own camera for color photography. In 1903, Sergei Mikhailovich was again in Russia and began printing postcards and illustrations on equipment made to his order in Germany. Moreover, he developed his own recipe for an emulsion that gave the best color rendition for its time.

Around the same time, he first traveled around the country to capture its sights and nature in color. In April 1904 he visited the Dagestan mountains, in the summer he visited Black Sea coast, then - in the Kursk province.

In 1905, his project - photographing Russia in color and publishing photographs in the form of color postcards - began to be financed by the St. Petersburg Red Cross. And previously strapped for funds, Prokudin-Gorsky continued his trips, photographing St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Sevastopol, Crimea, Novorossiysk.

But because economic problems In the state, the institution was unable to pay for the work of the photographer. Sergei Mikhailovich had to give up expeditions for a while and take up social activities. During this period, he ran his studio, worked on a photo magazine, taught, participated in photo exhibitions and scientific congresses, and traveled to Europe, where he took a series of color photographs of Italy. At the end of 1906 - beginning of 1907, he, together with the expedition of the Russian Geographical Society (which he joined in 1900), visited Turkestan to capture a solar eclipse.

In 1908, Prokudin-Gorsky worked in Yasnaya Polyana, photographing 80-year-old Leo Tolstoy and his estate. Photographs of the famous writer and landscapes of the Tula region were printed in the form of postcards and, as they would be called now, posters. They were distributed throughout the country and brought wide fame to the photographer. Soon he received an audience with Emperor Nicholas II himself, who supported his long-standing idea of ​​photographing the views and sights of Russia. The footage was supposed to be used in schools to introduce children to all corners of the big homeland.

The Tsar gave permission to work and provided transport; A few days later, the photographer went on an expedition again. He photographed the Volga and the Urals, Kostroma and Yaroslavl, then the Trans-Caspian region, again Turkestan, the Caucasus, Ryazan, Suzdal... But the project was never brought to life, most likely due to financial problems, since the state only paid transportation costs.

Probably in order to improve the shaky financial situation and raise capital for further work, since 1913 Sergei Mikhailovich began to work seriously entrepreneurial activity, with the involvement of large investors. He joined the board of the Biochrome joint-stock company created in 1914, which provided color photography and photo printing services.

In parallel with this, he began work on creating color cinema and even received a patent for it. Everything was designed necessary equipment, but then the First World War broke out. Prokudin-Gorsky had to abandon his endeavor and begin training pilots in aerial photography. He returned to photography again, but in wartime conditions this activity did not bring much success.

And then there was the October Revolution. In the new state, the photographer continued active work to popularize photography, organized shows of his works in the Winter Palace. His workshop operated as a printing house and received orders from Soviet authorities. In 1918, Sergei Mikhailovich, on behalf of the People's Commissariat of Education, went to Norway, where he was supposed to purchase projection equipment for schools.

But civil war did not allow him to return home. He was forced into exile, separated from his family. First in Norway, then in England, Prokudin-Gorsky continued to work on creating color cinema, but faced great difficulties and competition. In the 1920s, he moved to France, where he was finally able to reunite with his children. His first marriage broke up, and in 1920 he married again, to his employee Maria Shchedrina.

After the failure with cinema, Sergei Mikhailovich returned to photography, gave lectures on photography, organized shows of his works (most of the collection was taken out of Russia) for fellow emigrants, and wrote memoirs.

He died in 1944, shortly after the Allies liberated Paris, and was buried in a Russian cemetery outside the French capital. In 1948, his collection was purchased from the heirs of Prokudin-Gorsky by the Library of Congress. In 2001, these works were digitized and made publicly available - the legacy of the pioneer of color photography is now open to the whole world.

SERGEY MIKHAILOVICH PROKUDIN-GORSKY.

Svetlana Garanina. Professor of the Department of Book Science, Moscow State University of Culture and Arts.

Studio portrait. London. 1910s or 1920s. From the family archive.

... Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky was born on August 31, 1863 in the city of Murom, Vladimir province, died on September 27, 1944 in the “Russian House”, was buried in the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.

... Family estate of the Prokudin-Gorskys Funikova Gora was a village back in the 16th century, but in 1607 it was burned “by the Lithuanian people” along with the church located there in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since then, Funikova Gora has become a village. Until 1778, Funikova Gora was part of the Vladimir, and then Pokrovsky district of the Vladimir province. Today this locality does not exist. The Prokudin-Gorsky family was included in the IV part of the Noble Genealogy Book of the Vladimir Province in 1792, and then in 1848 it was transferred to its VI part.

... According to family legend, S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky studied at the Alexander Lyceum, however, this is not confirmed by documents. He probably had a higher education in chemical technology. In the late 80s he improved his education in Germany. Here, in the 90s, his research on color reproduction began in the laboratory. German chemist Professor Mite. In 1890, he married Anna Aleksandrovna Lavrova (1870-1937), the daughter of the famous Russian metallurgist, one of the founders of the domestic steel-gun production, and an active member of the Imperial Russian Technical Society, Alexander Stepanovich Lavrov. Retired Major General A.S. Lavrov was the director of the Highly Approved Partnership of the Gatchina Bell, Copper and Steel Works and made his son-in-law director of the board. This position was given to S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky takes up to October Revolution.

Landscape. Channel.

... It is with his direct service that his first report, made at the IRTS, “On current state foundry in Russia", as well as numerous trips to the Urals. The Imperial Russian Technical Society (IRTS), created on the initiative of professors and engineers of St. Petersburg in 1866, set as its goal “to promote the development of technology and technical industry in Russia.” Members of the society in different times there were almost all the largest scientists, engineers and industrialists of Russia: A. Butlerov, D. Mendeleev, D. Chernov, P. Yablochkov, A. Popov, A. Krylov, L. Nobel and many others. Being essentially polytechnic, IRTS, however, clearly specialized its activities. Industry departments and commissions created within them for specialties or rapidly developing areas of technology united groups of scientists who solved specific scientific problems, conducted collective research, and held discussions. To resolve issues important for Russian industry as a whole, General Meetings of IRTS members met. Since 1867, the IRTS published a diversified journal, “Notes of the IRTS,” which reflected all aspects of the life of society, published reports of its members made both in the General Meeting, and in the industry departments, the Vth photographic department of the IRTS was organized. Since the 90s Photographic societies began to be organized throughout Russia. Although at the beginning of the century there were already more than forty of them and the largest of them: the Russian Photographic Society in Moscow and the Kiev Daguerre Society - actively worked in the field artistic photography, The photographic department of the IRTS remained the center for the development of photochemistry, photo-optics and scientific photography. In 1898, Prokudin-Gorsky became a member of the photographic department of the IRTS and spoke at a meeting of the department with a message “On photographing falling stars (star showers)”, published on the pages of the “Notes of the IRTS”. During this period, his authority as a researcher and at the same time an expert in photographic practice is quite high, because it is to him that the members of the photographic department entrust the organization of practical photography courses at the IRTS, classes of which are first held in the photographic laboratory of the IRTS in Solyanoy Gorodok, where his colleagues in the department also teach. Young natural scientists also took part in the courses, who, like their leader, were attracted to the use of photography as a method scientific research. The founder of Russian epidemiology, D.K., was also a student of Prokudin-Gorsky. Zabolotny. On August 2, 1901, a “photozincographic and phototechnical workshop” by S.M. was opened in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Podyacheskaya 22. Prokudin-Gorsky. It is here that Prokudin-Gorsky finally has his own chemical “test” laboratory, as he would call it later, here from 1906 to 1909 the editorial office of the magazine “Amateur Photographer” will be located, for 10 years in the same house on Bolshaya The Prokudin-Gorsky family will also live in Podyacheskaya.

"Photography in natural colors my specialty..."

Georgia, Borjomi. Glass factory. Beginning of the 20th century.

... The first report on the method of producing color transparencies using the method of three-color photography was made by Prokudin-Gorsky on December 13, 1902, and in January 1905 he

“I introduced the meeting to my work on color photography, carried out by him over the course of 3 recent years in Berlin in laboratory of Professor Mite and in St. Petersburg. Then the speaker showed about 70 photographs he took abroad and here in Russia. Among them were very different in color and content, for example, views of Dagestan and the Caucasus, autumn views of Finland, winter landscapes, genre paintings, effects of the setting sun, etc. The photographs were striking in their faithfulness to the bright colors of nature, causing long-lasting applause and exclamations approval among those present."

Note that this was a meeting professional photographers and specialists who were fluent in all modern photographic and photochemical methods. It was very difficult to obtain such approval from professionals; the dispassionate protocol conveys it very accurately. From publications in the press we learn that in the same winter the talented scientist “admired St. Petersburg and Moscow with his color projections, surpassing, as a chemist himself, his teacher Mite.” At that time, the only method of color photography developed in practice was the one developed by the German professor A. Miethe. The process of obtaining a color image was still extremely labor-intensive: three negatives were shot from one point through three different filters. They were developed and fixed, and then by contact method, using coloring pigments, three positives colored in primary colors were obtained.

In order to have an image in natural colors, the positives had to be combined. First, we learned how to achieve such a combination by projecting positive images simultaneously onto the screen. However, the high cost of projection equipment and the natural desire of every photographer to see a photograph not only on the screen forced them to look for other methods. The difficulty was that with a three-color transfer it was necessary to expose three positive images of different colors, precisely combining them. The entire technology of the process S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky described it in 12 issues of the magazine “Amateur Photographer” for 1906. In 1905, Prokudin-Gorsky discovered (created) a new colorful substance of complex composition, significantly superior to the colorful sensitizers first used in 1902 by the German chemists Miethe and Traube, in contrast to which Prokudin-Gorsky’s composition made the silver bromine plate equally sensitive to all parts color spectrum. The descriptions that accompany his color photographs in the magazine “Amateur Photographer” always indicate "Sensed according to the method of S. Prokudin-Gorsky", And later: "On the plates of S. Prokudin-Gorsky". In December 1906, the Petersburg Newspaper reported that by improving the sensitivity of his plates, the researcher achieved good results and proposes to demonstrate “snapshots in natural colors, which is a great success, since no one has yet received it.”

Power plant machine room.

... On April 27 and 28, 1906, Prokudin-Gorsky speaks at the VI International Congress of Applied Chemistry in Rome with reports “Observations and research in photography in natural colors” and “Applied photography in Russia” with a demonstration of his work.

Composition of sabers and daggers.

... In 1907, a system of color photography appeared on Autochrome plates, invented and patented by the Lumiere Brothers company. Under the photosensitive layer, tiny grains of starch, painted in three primary colors, were applied directly to the glass. The plates were placed in a cassette with the glass side facing out, so that the light passed through the colored grains of starch, like through a filter, before hitting the sensitive layer. The Autochrome plates were greeted with enthusiasm; it seemed that thanks to them, color photography was becoming accessible to a wide range of amateur photographers. At a meeting of the photographic department of the IRTS, Prokudin-Gorsky makes a presentation and demonstrates “the entire process of shooting from a living nature, specially invited for this purpose,” here he develops plates and converts a color negative into a slide positive. While the plates are drying, he shows a series of photographs specially prepared “to clearly explain the reasons for failure and the importance of correct exposure in this complex and capricious process.” Having an excellent command of the methods of working on Autochrome plates, Prokudin-Gorsky, however, considers the three-stage shooting process to be the main one, which he continues to work on improving. This preference is apparently due to the fact that the method made it possible to make required quantity copies, triple positives for the production of transparencies, which in turn served as material for the production of metal cliches in a greatly enlarged form, from which impressions were made on printing machines. The improvement of color photography proceeded in two ways: firstly, an increase in exposure speed, which made it possible to record quickly current events; secondly, increasing the ability to replicate the image. Prokudin-Gorsky made his own contribution to each of these areas. He speaks at international congresses on applied chemistry, successfully participates in international photographic exhibitions and competitions, he was awarded a gold medal in Antwerp “for photographs in paint directly from life”, a token “for best works"in Nice. The Russian Photographic Society in Moscow elects him as an honorary member along with the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière and Professor Mite, and the photographic department of the IRTS as its chairman.

Mosque. People.

... Since 1906, Prokudin-Gorsky became the editor-publisher of the best periodical on photography in Russia, “The Amateur Photographer”. Each issue of The Amateur Photographer opens with an address from the editor to the readers. This form made it possible to conduct a relaxed and serious conversation about the organization of professional photographic education in Russia, about pictorialism in photography, talk about the news of photographic life and the achievements of photographic technology. The best demonstration of achievements in the field of color photography were the printed prints of color photographs placed in each issue of the Amateur Photographer and published as postcards. While traveling abroad, Prokudin-Gorsky had the opportunity to compare domestic color photograph and printing from foreign countries and wrote with pride:

“... We in Russia do not stand still, but move forward with rather large steps... Having visited Berlin, London, Paris, Vienna, Milan and having looked closely at foreign works in paint, works that actually appeared in the public relatively recently, I can say that in our country this matter is not at all lower, and in many cases even higher in terms of the truthfulness of the transmission. If we take into account that color typographic reproduction began to develop in Russia in just 4-5 years, then, of course, we should recognize a huge success.".

“Portrait from life in natural colors...”

... In the workshop of Prokudin-Gorsky on B. Podyacheskaya 22, custom photographic work was also carried out: photographs of amateur photographers were developed and printed. One incident prompted him to contact letter to Yasnaya Polyana:

… « Dear Lev Nikolaevich, I recently had to show color photographic plate on which someone removed (I forgot his last name). The result was very bad for, apparently, the person filming was not very familiar with the matter. Photography in natural colors is my specialty, and it is possible that you accidentally came across my name in print. Currently I have succeeded after many years of work to achieve excellent image transmission in true colors. My colored ones projections are known as in Europe, so in Russia. Now that the process of photographing according to my method and on my plates require from 1-3 seconds, I allow myself to ask you allow me to come on one or two days (taking into account the state of your health and the weather) in order to take several pictures in color of you and your wife.

… I think that by reproducing you in true colors environment, I will do a service to the whole world. These images eternal - do not change. Reach No way to convey such results with paints can.”

Hydraulic structure during construction.

… The invitation was received, and in May 1908 Prokudin-Gorsky went to Yasnaya Polyana. He spent three days with the Tolstoy family. In his note, which was supposed to accompany the publication of the portrait in the “Notes of the IRTS”, the master provides a number of interesting details. For example, he writes that the writer “was especially keenly interested in all the latest discoveries in various areas, as well as the question transmitting images in true colors." Naturally, Prokudin-Gorsky stops at technique for shooting a large portrait. He writes, that due to the cyclone and strong wind that took place in May, I was forced to increase exposure time up to 6 seconds, “Including here and the time required to move is very large cassette. The photo was taken once the cassette was delivered by hand to Moscow, where only it was possible to remove the plates from it for their packaging." The photograph was taken at five and a half o'clock in the evening, immediately after Tolstoy's horseback ride, "it was taken in the garden, in the shadow falling from the house, and the background was brightly illuminated by the sun." The portrait was first published in the August issue of “Notes of the IRTS” for 1908, in which the Russian technical community honored “the great representative of Russian thought and speech.” The article addressed to the hero of the day noted that this is “the newest portrait, constituting the last word in photographic technology - a portrait from life in natural colors, executed only with technical techniques, without any participation of the artist’s brush or chisel, a portrait that is all the more appropriate for the solemn day because it constitutes a triumph of Russian technology: shooting a portrait in paint from life became possible only thanks to the improvements made in Russia by S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky in relation to color sensitivity and fidelity of color rendering.” At the same time, the portrait was reproduced in the September - 9th issue of “Amateur Photographer” and published in a significant edition by the photomechanical workshops of Prokudin-Gorsky, and later by the publishing house “Sun” in the form of color postcards and wall paintings. The postcards were also published by the stereoscopic publishing house Svet; they can still be found on the shelves of second-hand bookstores. In all cases, the cliches were made by the photographer himself.

L. N. Tolstoy. May 23, 1908. The portrait is reproduced from the author’s lithographic print kept in the L.N. Tolstoy in Moscow.

… Describing his impressions of the works of the best European masters of portrait photography, Prokudin-Gorsky notes that they “strive to convey human face and the figure in a position as close as possible to the usual, natural position in “ordinary” normal lighting, regardless of whether all the detail in the deep shadows will be worked out.

... You could forget that you see a “photograph” in front of you - you see the person himself, you feel him. Portrait photography in in this case can be compared with the same painting." Prokudin-Gorsky follows these observations in his portrait works.

F. I. Chaliapin as Mephistopheles. (“Faust” by Gounod). 1915 From life. CM. Prokudin-Gorsky.

… The portrait of Chaliapin in the role of Mephistopheles is remarkable for its depiction of the color of the stage costume.

… “Chaliapin’s costume is quite unique. It is, of course, more connected with the century, because since the action takes place in the setting of the 16th century, it is necessary that all the details correspond to this era. And so Chaliapin gave a magnificent resurrection of the portraits of ancient masters. In Goldbein and in Durer's engravings you will find German dandies dressed in exactly the same way; The sword is especially beautiful and the drapery of the cloak is characteristic. As for the color of the clothes, here again the principle of some kind of elusiveness is observed; from a purely picturesque point of view, the costume attracts with its general coloring, full of extraordinary originality:this is not the right red toneMephistopheles' previous costumes -it approaches orange without falling into it" (Emphasis added by me, S.G.) This tone could only be conveyed with the help of very accurate color photography, and Prokudin-Gorsky was the only one who could do this and, as the photograph in the book testifies, he did. We can rightfully classify portraits and most of the master’s landscape and architectural photographs as art photography, however, the photographer himself main task saw it as “leaving an accurate document for the future.”

He insists in his polemics with photographers of the new direction that “photography is still an art of protocol nature».

Hydraulic structure.

"The application of photography in natural colors to the preservation of ancient monuments of Russia."

... In 1908, Russian photographic societies submitted a “Note on the Copyright of the Photographer” to the State Duma. To make it more convincing, an exhibition was launched in the halls of the Academy of Arts and an evening was organized to demonstrate the achievements of Russian photographers. The highlight of the evening's program, held on May 30, was the screening of color projections by Prokudin-Gorsky, who was one of the authors of the Note. A contemporary writes that the performance was interrupted every now and then by an explosion of applause. Among the archaeological photographs was shown a remarkable ancient vase kept in the Hermitage, the colors of which had begun to fade. The documentary accuracy of the resulting image captured them for centuries and opened the possibility for restorers to recreate them. Big scientific interest They also presented photographs of colored decorations on Turkestan churches and buildings, taken at the beginning of 1907 before the earthquake of October 8, 1907, which destroyed these most valuable relics of history. In the hall among the members State Duma and the State Council, members of the imperial house were also present. Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich invited the photographer to show the photographs he had taken in the palace and introduce him to the method of obtaining color images from nature, then the same offer came from Empress Maria Feodorovna, after which the master was invited to demonstrate his works to the Tsar in Tsarskoe Selo.

CM. Prokudin-Gorsky on a trip on a handcar.

... During the years of emigration, recalling his first visit to Tsarskoye Selo, Prokudin-Gorsky wrote:

« The most responsible one has arrived moment, because I was sure that from The success of this evening depended to a large extent on the fate of my business. For this first demonstration to the Emperor, I selected photographs from purely sketch nature character: sunsets, snowy landscapes, photographs of peasant children, flowers, autumn sketches, etc. Exactly at half past eight the blackamoor on duty announced:

... “Their Imperial Majesties”, and the Sovereign entered the hall, The Empress with her eldest daughters and close persons of the retinue. Having greeted me, the Tsar and Empress took their places in front of the booth, and the Tsar ordered to begin. After the first picture, when I heard the Emperor’s approving whisper, I was already confident of success, so how the program was selected by me in increasing effectiveness ok. During the break when it was served tea with soft drinks, The Emperor separated from the group of courtiers and, approaching me, began asking what I mean to do next with this wonderful work. I expressed my views to him on various applications, which my work could have, and added: "Your Majesty would be maybe also interesting to see from time to time true Russia and its ancient monuments, as well as the beauty of the diverse nature of our great Motherland."

Construction of a sluice water seal.

The Emperor reacted with great approval to my words and said: “Talk to S.V. Rukhlov, please inform him, what exactly do you need for this? and let him make a report on it.” Then the second part began, which I especially counted on. And so it happened. Each picture evoked not only whispers of approval, but even loud exclamations. At the end of the evening, the Emperor and Empress with their children came up to me, thanked me for the great pleasure I had received, and the Emperor, turning to me, said: “So don’t forget "Let's talk to Rukhlov."

… In his notes, Prokudin-Gorsky does not report the dates of his visit to Tsarskoye Selo, but fortunately, we can establish the entire chronological outline of events from very accurate, albeit laconic, daily entries in the diary of Nicholas II:

In the evening, Professor Prokudin-Gorsky made an interesting message on photographs in paint and showed many beautiful pictures.

Now the photographer has a real opportunity to realize his grandiose plan: “To capture all the sights of our vast fatherland in natural colors.”

From now on, skill, energy, and money are devoted to this. By imperial order, the master was provided with a specially equipped Pullman carriage; for work on the waterways, the Ministry allocated a steamer with a full complement of crew, a small steamer capable of sailing in shallow water, and for the Chusovaya River - motor boat. For filming the Urals and Ural mountain range a Ford car suitable for difficult roads. The documents issued by the Tsar's office provided the master with access to all places of the Russian Empire, and the local administration was supposed to provide him with all possible assistance in successfully conducting filming. After the end of each expedition, which usually took the summer, Prokudin-Gorsky processed the material received, showed his work to the Minister of Railways, and then showed the photographs in Tsarskoye Selo. The first viewing of the footage in the palace, based on the diary entries of Nicholas II, took place on March 20, 1910.

The bridge is pedestrian.

[…] After lunch Prokudin-Gorsky, whom we knew from last year, showed us his beautiful pictures of color photography from a trip across Russia to the Urals. And further in the Diaries:

... At 9 o’clock in the round hall Prokudin-Gorskyshowed his beautiful color photographs of the banks of the Volga and Ural. The last mention was in 1913:

From 9 o'clock Prokudin-Gorsky showed new beautiful color photographs.

… According to the photographer’s recollections, “the choice of subjects for the Emperor was somewhat different. The special structures of the Ministry, such as dams, excavations for the railway track, various bridges, could not interest the Sovereign as much as He was interested in Russian antiquity, ancient monuments and the beauty of nature.” The master called color photography a “most delicate” process.

“If, on the one hand, thanks to everything described, my work was furnished very well, on the other hand, it was very difficult, required enormous patience, knowledge, experience and often great effort.

[…] Do the photographs were taken in a variety of different and often Very difficult conditions, and then in the evening it was necessary the photographs were developed in the laboratory of the carriage and sometimes the work dragged on until late at night, especially if the weather was unfavorable and it was necessary to find out whether it would be necessary to repeat the shooting in different lighting before leaving for the next intended destination. Then from the negatives there “Copies were made along the way and entered into albums.”

... All filming was carried out by Prokudin-Gorsky on own funds, the government limited transport assistance. The photographer planned within ten years, take 10,000 photographs of Russian sights from Finland to the Pacific Ocean. And purely technically, he was already capable of implementing such a grandiose plan: he achieved high color sensitivity of his plates, which made it possible to make instantaneous images on them. shooting, could produce plates in sufficient quantity and successfully replicate the received images. He had extensive field experience, field filming, he has been on many expeditions as a member of the Imperial Russian Geographical society. Already the first year of work has shown that it is possible to implement what you plan with your own funds will not succeed. The cost of special equipment, reagents, plates, photographic paper, and payments to assistants led to because each photo cost 10 rubles, 1000 photographs produced annually cost 10,000 rubles Expeditions, processing and description of the footage did not leave time for other earnings, and the family had three children.

Naturally, the question arises, is it really money? the Ministry of the Imperial Household could not allocate for filming, since Nicholas II was so keenly interested in the work being done?

...In their in his memoirs Prokudin-Gorsky gives an answer to this question:

“The Emperor said nothing because I didn't ask for anything. The minister didn't say anything because there was no highest command for this, but I believed that the opportunities given to me in sufficiently move me along the path of achieving my task, and in part I was even afraid of ruining things.” The money quickly melted away, the collection grew, the processed material on glass plates was quite bulky, requiring storage room. Large private firms offered Prokudin-Gorsky capital, but confidence in that the collection should belong to the state forced him to contact the government. The archives preserved the “Case of the Office of the Council of Ministers on the acquisition to the treasury of Professor Prokudin-Gorsky collection of photographs of attractions Russia."

... The archival file includes an appeal Prokudin-Gorsky before the next expedition in the summer of 1910 to the Minister of Finance V.N. Kokovtsov with a request to buy from him the completed part of the work in order to ensure further work; Prokudin-Gorsky's memos, business correspondence on this issue of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers P.A. Stolypin and V.N. Kokovtsov, letter from the August Manager of the Russian Museum Vel. Book George Mikhailovich, other records management materials.

Here we present some fragments of “The Case...”.

... “Since the whole interest of my life is inextricably linked with this work, I will allow myself to vigorously petition, if there were a decision to transfer all the work to some department, to give me the opportunity, at least free of charge, to take an active part in the leadership of exploitation of the material",- the scientist asks in his next “Memorandum” dated December 6, 1910.

... “Since the whole interest of my life is inextricably linked with this work, I will allow myself to vigorously petition, if there were a decision to transfer all the work to some department, to give me the opportunity, at least free of charge, to take an active part in the leadership of exploitation of the material,” the scientist asks in his next “Memo” dated December 6, 1910.

The “Interdepartmental Commission” specially created by the Council of Ministers noted in its “Conclusion”:

“When the paintings of S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky will have wide access to our educational institutions, then we will have an exemplary, truehomeland studies(highlighted by S.G.), and in this important and necessary matter Russia will occupy an enviable position among cultural countries."

All estimates were made and the amounts for the purchase of rights and continuation of work were determined. However, all intentions remained only on paper. It seems that the death of P.A. played a fatal role. Stolypin in September 1911

... In the "Conclusion of the Interdepartmental Commission ..." we find confirmation that filming was successfully carried out in Turkestan: using the Prokudin-Gorsky method, “ethnographic pictures of groups of residents on the move, for example: fairs, folk festivals, religious processions etc. Obtaining such pictures is possible only with instant exposure, for which it was necessary to design and build a special new photographic apparatus, tested for the first time CM. Prokudin-Gorsky in the fall of 1911 during a trip to Turkestan."

... The demonstration of the film took place on January 24, 1912 in Salt Town, where from the moment of its origin (1866) was located at the IRTS, in the hall of the Handicraft Museum. Apparently, the quality of filming or reproduction did not satisfy Prokudin-Gorsky, since demonstrating his achievements to members of the government on March 3, 1912 in the Expedition Hall for Procurement of State Papers, he limited himself to the projection of slides.

In order to have money to continue filming and improve his new invention - color cinematography, Prokudin-Gorsky finds financial partners and, together with S.O. Maksimovich organizes in January 1913 “A partnership of faith under the company “Trading House S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky and Co.””. Somewhat later in the same 1913, Prokudin-Gorsky organizes Joint stock company"Biochrome", to which all the property of the "Trading House ..." is transferred. The joint stock company "Biochrome" was established, according to its charter, "to carry out and develop activities belonging to the" Trading House S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky and Co. photozincography workshops in St. Petersburg, for the exploitation of S.M.’s inventions. Prokudin-Gorsky, S.O. Maksimovich and other inventors in the field of color photography and color cinematography, as well as colorful and all other printing.

Crimea, Yalta. "Swallow's Nest". Beginning of the 20th century.

... In Paris, summing up the work done in Russia, Prokudin-Gorsky gives a list of the footage. Let's quote it in full:

WERE SERVICED:

1) — Mariinsky waterway;

2) - Turkestan;

3) - Bukhara (old);

4) — the Urals in relation to the fields;

5) - The entire Chusovaya River from the source;

6) - Volga from the source to Nizhny Novgorod;

7) — Monuments related to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty;

8) - Caucasus and Dagestan region;

9) - Mugan steppe;

10) - Places associated with memories of 1812 (Patriotic War);

11) - Murmansk railway track.In addition, there are many pictures of Finland, Little Russia and beautiful natural places.

… Continuing his research, Prokudin-Gorsky achieves new successes: he patents a method for producing cheap color film transparencies, together with Maksimovich takes patents on color cinematography in Germany, England, France, Italy. The outbreak of the First World War forced him almost completely abandon filming the collection and work for military needs: engage in censorship of films arriving from abroad, analysis of photo preparations, training filming from airplanes, etc. The last time photographs from the Collection of Russian Landmarks were shown in their homeland was on March 12 and 19, 1918 in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace at evenings called “Miracles of Photography” organized by the People's Commissariat Enlightenment.

… Soon after the October Revolution, Prokudin-Gorsky was appointed professor at the Photo and Film Institute, specially created at the direction of A.V. Lunacharsky. But already in 1918 he left Russia. Through Finland and Norway, Prokudin-Gorsky ends up in England, where he continues his experiments on creating color film for cinematography.

Here in 1920 he marries his employee Maria Fedorovna Shchedrina; they had a daughter, Elena (married Elena Sergeevna Susalina).

In exile, having ended up in Paris after wanderings, where by this time he had already moved from Russia first family, S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky (together with by their sons, who inherited the profession father, and daughter Ekaterina, married to Svechina), they organize a photo studio, which by the name The youngest daughter from her second marriage is called “Yolka”.

… In the early 30s. Prokudin-Gorsky retired from work in laboratory and began educational activities. Atelier, now called “Brothers” Gorskie” continued its activities.

In the family a copy of an excellent color album of the national pavilions of the Paris World Exhibition of 1937, taken by the brothers Mikhail and Dmitry Prokudin-Gorsky according to his father’s method. Relatively recently, the album was reproduced in facsimile by one of the Parisian publishing companies. Periodicals of the Russian emigration give the opportunity to recreate the chronicle of performances already old photographer in front of Russian youth in Paris - at annual children's parties, in the Russian Academic Group, in the patriotic association "Russian Falcon" he gives lectures and shows “Images of Russia”, “Russia in Pictures”, "Central Russia".

He writes in his note:

“The only way to show and prove to the Russian youth, who are already forgetting or have not seen their Motherland at all, all the power, all the significance, all the greatness of Russia and thereby awaken the much-needed national consciousness, is to show her beauty and wealth on the screen as they really were in nature, i.e. in true colors."

… In the 1930s in Paris the idea arose to create photographic collection of historical and artistic monuments of France and its colonies, butIt was not possible to find money for this project. The idea was partially realized by Mikhail Prokudin-Gorsky, who compiled a collection of ethnographic types of French women in national costumes; one of the copies of the collection is kept by his son Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky in Paris.

… Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky was born on August 31, 1863 in the city of Murom, Vladimir province, died on September 27, 1944 in the “Russian House”, was buried in the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.

1. State Archive of the Vladimir Region. F.556. Op.3. d.72.
2. Frolov N.V. Vladimir pedigree. Issue 1. Kovrov. "BEST.V", 1996. P.109.
3. Notes from IRTS. 1899. Issue. 1. p.59-634 RGIA St. Petersburg. F.90. Op.1. Storage unit 445. L.27.
4. CM. Prokudin-Gorsky made a report on the photomechanical department of the Higher Technical School in Charlottenburg. The speaker familiarized those present in detail with the program of subjects taught in the Department, pointed out serious attitude director of the department prof. Mitya and his assistants to teaching and leadership practical exercises students. The speaker then proceeded to describe the method of producing color transparencies on the principle of three-color photography, which he was able to familiarize himself with at Dr. Hezekiel's factory. The latter prepares transparencies as follows. For the red and yellow positives, he copies the corresponding negatives on celluloid films treated with dichromate. After copying, it is developed in warm water, fixed and then stained with erythrosine and naphthol yellow. Hezekiel makes blue transparencies on transparencies. To do this, the plate is exposed under the appropriate negative in a copy frame, developed and treated with red salt. Metallic silver reduced in the developer turns into yellow blue-silver, which is converted by ferric chloride into Prussian blue. After this, the slide is washed and fixed. All three transparencies are glued together with Canada balsam. The speaker finally demonstrated on the screen color transparencies made using the described method. P.M. Dementyev and K.N. Chisterman pointed out that a method similar to that described by the speaker had been published much earlier by Sanger-Shepard. P.M. Dementiev showed on the screen several color slides made according to a modified Hezekiel method. The meeting thanked the speaker and P.M. with noisy applause. Dementieva.
5. RGIA SPb. F.90. Op.1. Storage unit 449. L.59-60.
6. Amateur photographer. 1905. No. 11. P. 402.
7. RGIA SPb. F.90. Op.1. Storage unit 460. L.18.
8. Right there. -P.99.
9. State Museum L.N. Tolstoy. Manuscripts Department. Inv. No. 16,474.
10. RGIA SPb. F.90. Op.1. Storage unit 9129. L.19-20.
11. Notes from IRTS. 1908. No. 8. P. 369.
12. Amateur photographer. 1908. No. 7. P.203-204.
13. Cm. our articles: Garanina S. Photo monograph about Chaliapin. Photo. 1997. No. 2. ; The last tragedian... The bookworm. 1998. No. 3.
14. Stark E. Chaliapin. P.80.
15. Catalog of color printing samples from artistic photomechanical workshops S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky. St. Petersburg, 1911. P.8.
16. Amateur photographer. 1906. No. 5. P. 132.
17. Personal archive of S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky. Property of his grandson, M.I. Susalina.
18. GARF. F. 601. Op.1. Storage unit 254. L.6.
19. GARF. F. 601. Op.1. Storage unit 254. L.55.
20. GARF. F. 601. Op.1. Storage unit 256. L.104.
21. GARF. F. 601. Op.1. Storage unit 259. L.176.
22. Family archive. - CM. Prokudin-Gorsky is a grandson. Paris.
24. RGIA SPb. F.25. Op.5. Storage unit 381. L.7, 2.
25. RGIA SPb. F.25. Op.5. Storage unit 1925. L.2-3.
26. RGIA SPb. F.23. Op.12. Storage unit 1925. L.27.
27. Personal archive of S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky.
28. RGIA SPb. F.23. Op.12. Storage unit 1925. L.28.
29. 29 . Photographic news. 1918. № 3. WITH.34.
30. International Exhibition of Arts and DES appliqué techniques La Vie Moderne: Album Officiel: Paris 1937EditionColombes: J. Chaplain, 1987.
31. Personal archive of S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky and his sons Dmitry and Mikhail. Own WITH. M. Prokudina— Gorsky, grandson. Paris.

Rare color photographs of Prokudin-Gorsky (70 photos)

Having recently accidentally stumbled upon a colorful photograph of an old Sart online, I didn’t think much of it. special significance because the photo was in color. Well, a photograph is just like a photograph. Some old man in a robe, no different from the refugees from Tajikistan-Afghanistan who often appear in lately on TV screens, and even on the streets of our city. Photographer Prokudin-Gorsky.

Soon, during a conversation online, this name came up again in a conversation about the virtual library of the US Congress. I rushed to the Library of Congress website and spent the rest of the night downloading file after file of amazing pictures of life. Russian Empire, captured in color by photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky at the beginning of the last century.

Having become interested primarily in photographs from the Central Asian cycle, taken in 1911, I involuntarily looked through in search of the required material dozens of pictures. Gradually the shock that these were COLOR photographs of the early 20th century wore off. I saw animated paintings and illustrations of Russian classics. Magnificent landscapes. A series of ethnographic photographs depicting representatives of many peoples of the empire. Household sketches, industrial paintings of the era of young Russian capitalism.

Looking through slide after slide, I felt a change in my understanding of pre-revolutionary Russia. She turned out to be somewhat different than what she had seen from the books she had read and the films she had seen. Books make the imagination work - and it is subjective. Old photographs are usually so poor quality that seem dead, contrived. Films are generally staged, and there were practically no documentary films at that time. Photographs by Prokudin-Gorsky captured full-color paintings from real life. Later I read Sergei Mikhailovich’s statement about photography’s contribution to the cause of education: “Memory, supported visually, thanks to an interestingly presented subject, will far surpass our usual methods of memorization.”

And yet, where did color come from a hundred years ago?
How was this done?
After all, just recently - 30-40 years ago, color photography was exotic. I also remember pseudo-colored painted photographs...

A talented chemist, a keen photographer, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, Prokudin-Gorsky by 1906 published a number of articles on the principles of color photography. During this period he improved so much new method, which ensured the same color sensitivity across the entire spectrum, which could already take color photographs suitable for projection. At the same time, he developed his own method of transmitting color images, based on dividing colors into three components. He shot objects 3 times through 3 filters - red, green and blue. This resulted in 3 black and white positive plates.

To subsequently reproduce the image, he used a three-section slide projector with blue, red and green light. All three images from the three plates were projected onto the screen simultaneously, as a result of which those present were able to see full-color images. Being already a famous photographer and editor of the magazine “Amateur Photographer” by 1909, Sergei Mikhailovich had the opportunity to fulfill his long-standing dream - to compile a photo chronicle of the Russian Empire.

On the recommendation of Grand Duke Michael, he outlines his plan to Nicholas II and receives the most ardent support. Over the next few years, the government allocated Prokudin-Gorsky a specially equipped railway carriage for travel with the aim of photographically documenting the life of the empire.

During this work, several thousand plates were filmed. The technology for displaying color images on the screen has been developed.

And most importantly, a gallery of beautiful photographs has been created, unprecedented in quality and volume. And for the first time, such a series of photographs was separated into colors. Then only for the purpose of displaying it on the screen using an overhead projector.

The further fate of these photographic plates is also unusual. After the death of Nicholas II, Prokudin-Gorsky managed to travel first to Scandinavia, then to Paris, taking with him almost all the results of many years of work - glass plates in 20 boxes.

“In the 1920s, Prokudin-Gorsky lived in Nice, and the local Russian community received the precious opportunity to view his paintings in the form of color slides. Sergei Mikhailovich was proud that his work helped the young Russian generation on foreign soil to understand and remember what it looked like their lost homeland, in its most in real form, preserving not only its color, but also its spirit."

The collection of photographic plates survived both the numerous moves of the Prokudin-Gorsky family and the German occupation of Paris.

At the end of the 40s, the question arose about the publication of the first "History of Russian Art" under general edition Igor Grabar. Then - about the possibility of supplying it with color illustrations. It was then that the translator of this work, Princess Maria Putyatin, remembered that at the beginning of the century her father-in-law, Prince Putyatin, introduced Tsar Nicholas II to a certain professor Prokudin-Gorsky, who developed a method of color photography by color separation. According to her information, the professor’s sons lived as exiles in Paris and were the custodians of a collection of his photographs.

In 1948, Marshall, a representative of the Rockefeller Foundation, purchased about 1,600 photographic plates from the Prokudin-Gorskys for $5,000. Since then, the plates have been kept in the Library of Congress for many years.

Recently, someone just came up with the idea of ​​​​trying to scan and combine 3-plate photographs of Prokudin - Gorsky on a computer. And almost a miracle happened - it seemed that the images, lost forever, came to life."

Author Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky

03:07 pm - The first color photograph....Prokudin-Gorsky, Sergei Mikhailovich (1863-1944)
Dedicated to lovers of extended dynamic ranges, and color photos in general...

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky spent his childhood on the family estate of the Prokudin-Gorskys, Funikova Gora. According to family legend, he studied at the Alexander Lyceum, but this is not confirmed by documents. He graduated from the Technological Institute in St. Petersburg, where he attended Mendeleev’s lectures. Then he continued his studies as a chemist in Berlin and Paris. Collaborated with famous chemists and inventors: Momene and Mite. Together with them he worked on the development of promising methods of color photography.
On December 13, 1902, Prokudin-Gorsky first announced the creation of color transparencies using the three-color photography method, and in 1905 he patented his sensitizer, which was significantly superior in quality to similar developments by foreign chemists, including the Mite sensitizer. The composition of the new sensitizer made the silver bromide plate equally sensitive to the entire color spectrum.
Self-portrait

At the beginning of the 20th century, multilayer color photographic materials did not yet exist, so Prokudin-Gorsky used black and white photographic plates (which he sensitized according to his own recipes) and a camera of his own design (its exact device is unknown; it was probably similar to the camera system of the German chemist - professor Mitya). Three quick photographs of the same scene were taken in succession through color filters of blue, green and red, after which three black and white negatives were obtained, located one above the other on one photographic plate. From this triple negative a triple positive was produced (probably using the contact printing method). To view such photographs, a projector with three lenses was used, located in front of three frames on a photographic plate. Each frame was projected through a filter of the same color as the one through which it was shot. When three images (red, green and blue) were added, a full-color image was obtained on the screen.

The composition of the new sensitizer, patented by Prokudin-Gorsky, made the silver bromine plate equally sensitive to the entire color spectrum. “Petersburgskaya Gazeta” reported in December 1906 that, by improving the sensitivity of his plates, the researcher intended to demonstrate “snapshots in natural colors, which represents a great success, since no one has yet obtained them.” Perhaps the displays of projections of Prokudin-Gorsky's photographs became the world's first slide demonstrations.

Prokudin-Gorsky contributed to two existing directions for improving color photography at that time: the way of reducing shutter speed (using his method, Prokudin-Gorsky managed to make exposure possible in a second); and, secondly, increasing the ability to replicate the image. He also speaks at international congresses on applied chemistry.

Pictures are taken not on three different plates, but on one, in a vertical arrangement, which allows you to speed up the shooting process by shifting the plate.

The work of the most famous Russian photographer, inventor, teacher Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky numbers about two thousand glass color-separation negatives, capturing the centuries-old culture of the Russian Empire on the eve of tremendous upheavals.

During the first 15 years of the 20th century, he implemented a grandiose project - color photography of the Russian Empire.

By 1906, Prokudin-Gorsky published several articles on the principles of color photography. By then he had so perfected the new method, which guaranteed equal color sensitivity across the entire spectrum, that he could produce color frames suitable for projection.

It was Prokudin-Gorsky, at the same time, who developed a new method for transmitting color images: he photographed objects three times - through 3 filters - red, green and blue. The result was 3 black and white positive plates.

To reproduce the resulting images, he used a three-section overhead projector with blue, red and green light. All 3 pictures were simultaneously projected onto the screen, and as a result one could see a full-color photograph.

In 1909, Prokudin-Gorsky was already a well-known master and editor of the magazine “Amateur Photographer”. At this time, he finally manages to realize his dream of creating a photo chronicle of the entire Russian empire.

Having listened to the advice of Grand Duke Mikhail, Prokudin-Gorsky talks about his plans to Nicholas II and, of course, hears words of support. For several years, specifically for trips to photographically document the life of the empire, the government allocated Prokudin-Gorsky a railway carriage equipped with everything necessary.

While working on your grandiose project Prokudin-Gorsky photographed several thousand plates. During this period, the technology for displaying color images on the screen was developed almost perfectly. Thus, a unique gallery of beautiful photographs was created.

After the death of Nicholas II, Prokudin-Gorsky, along with his collection - glass plates in 20 boxes - managed to travel first to Scandinavia, then to Paris. In the 1920s he lived in Nice. Sergei Mikhailovich was very glad that his works helped the young Russian generation abroad understand what their homeland looks like.

The Prokudin-Gorsky collection of photographic plates had to survive the repeated relocations of the Prokudin-Gorsky family and the German occupation of Paris.

At the end of the 40s, the question was raised about publishing the first “History of Russian Art” under the general editorship of Igor Grabar, and providing it with color illustrations.

In 1948, Marshall, a representative of the Rockefeller Foundation, purchased about 1,600 photographic plates from the Prokudin-Gorskys for $5,000. Thus, the plates ended up in the Library of the US Congress.

Already in our time, the idea arose of scanning and combining 3-plate photographs of Prokudin - Gorsky on a computer. This is how we all managed to bring the unique archive back to life.