The Rise of Black-and-White and Color Photography

By

Karen Utter Jennings

After the turn of the twentieth century, the art of photography grew steadily. George Eastman founded the new age of photography with black-and-white snapshots. Brownie box cameras were easy to use and cheap to buy. It was the beginning of a new way for people to try their hand at taking photographs. In 1900, a quarter of a million Kodak Brownie cameras sold for one dollar each.

With the simple cameras in the hands of more people, photography studios and

travelling photographers had competition. Autochrome photographs were taken from 1904 to the late 1930s and these are identified by their shades of gray and sepia tones. They may appear to be faded and hard to identify backgrounds and details. Use care when handling these old photos.

During the early years color photography remained a commercial undertaking for trained photographers only. Color paper prints were produced from 1941 to the present. The Kodak Company introduced Kodachrome 16mm movie film in 1935 and negative film became available from Kodak in 1941. Eventually, Polaroids were popular due to the ability to snap a photo and wait while it developed inside the camera.

From 1948 to about 1965, many early cameras were used with roll film. The different types of film produced different sizes of photos. Many of those types of film were discontinued in the last few years.

As the years passed and we entered the twenty-first century, photography continues to be a popular and special hobby as well as a profitable business. Digital photography is one of the most-loved ways to take family photographs.

Today’s cameras are high-tech devices offering multiple advanced features that guarantee amateurs a perfect photograph. Photographers can do it all: preview the shots as you go and discard the bad ones, shoot an endless number of pictures then save and store them on small SD cards, then upload to computers and print your prized possessions.  

The old black-and-white and color photographs are the basis of family photograph collections. Since these prints often fade in time, the best way to preserve them before they do fade is to scan all your photographs to media storage and then keep the originals in a cool, dark and low-humidity environment.

Storage of photos includes websites where you can upload all your photographs and retrieve copies of them whenever you need to do so. There are multiple online websites to help you create photo books, also.

Many times family researchers digitize their photographs and put them on media such as CDs and flash drives and camera cards to share with family members. This is the new era

In many family photograph collections, there are torn, faded, cracked and worn pictures. Besides taking your photos to a specialist who can restore them to their original likeness, there are scores of computer software you can purchase to help you do it yourself. Adobe Photoshop Elements is one of them. There are other programs you can purchase as downloads or buy the program and place it on your computer yourself. Do your research; talk with people who own such software before you make your decision. They can be pricey.

The old black-and-white and color photographs are the bulk of my own family photograph collection. They are dear to my heart. In many of them I can identify everyone in the photograph, and date the time and place it was taken.

I caution you about using the date stamped at the bottom or the side of the photograph. It does not always mean that is when the photograph was taken; it only dates when the film was developed. Many people waited, sometimes for years, before they took their film rolls in to be developed.

Go through your own photograph collection and begin sorting, labeling, and organizing them. You will be happy you did!

DEFINING THE PHOTOGRAPH TYPES

by Karen Utter Jennings

Defining types of photographs will help you discover which photos you may have in your collection. I cannot possibly include all of the information known about each type; this is a simple overview.

Daguerreotypes are images attached to glass plates. There were wet plates and dry plates. The finished photo was placed in a double frame of decorated foil-like brass to protect the glass.  Many times artists added color to jewelry, lips and cheeks of the person in the photo.

Calotypes are images produced on paper. Since these types of photos were not popular, most of the surviving photos can be found in museums or other intuitions. They are defined as faded, pale images, sometimes appearing yellow and very discolored.

Ambrotypes are negative images developed on glass with a dark coating on the back. These images were covered with another layer of glass, and then sealed behind a mat for protection. It was enclosed in a metal case.

Tintypes are also called ferrotypes or melainotypes. They were printed on thin blackened sheets of iron, then coated with photo chemicals and varnished for protection. These came in sizes from 8x10 to postage stamp size, or “gems.”  To test whether you have a tintype, hold it to a magnet and if it sticks, it is a tintype.

The photo above shows my great, great grandfather, Thomas Nathaniel Johnson as a young man in Indiana. He was my great-grandmother's father who migrated from Indiana to Southwest Missouri after the Civil War. He lived in McDonald County, Missouri, where he raised his family. In later years, Pa & Ma Johnson moved to Rocky Comfort where they died in 1951 & 1949 respectively. Notice Tom's tie is painted on the tin type. The original size of my photo is a wallet size.

Albumen prints are early paper photos made from paper coated with ammonium chloride and egg whites. From the process, the photographer could make multiple prints. If you look closely at these types of photographs, they appear glossy with a creamy coloring.

Carte de vistes are also called card photographs and come in varying sizes. They were popular for folks visiting others in their homes, where they would leave their visiting card. The government taxed the common card photographs. Look at the backs of these and you might find revenue stamps.

Stereographs are easy to identify. They are two matching images mounted side by side. They have a 3-D look when they are viewed through a stereoscope. If you find the photographer printed on the backs of these, research to find the date of the images.

The early black-and-white snapshots are identified by their shades of sepia or gray tones. They are printed on card stock and come in varying sizes, depending on the size of the negative.

Photo postcards were printed on paper with postcard backs. They are also known as “real-photo” postcards, a person could send a picture and a message to others. Look on the postcard side for the stamp box and other design elements. Travelling photographers usually have their imprint somewhere on the photo card. In the old photo below, you can see the traveling photographer's imprint. This photo is of Leander Scott (L.S.) Utter & his family. L.S. Utter was my great, great-grandfather's nephew who lived in Barry County, Missouri. 

Autochromes are those photographs taken from 1904 to the late 1930s. They were created using a process of dyed starch grains to create the image on glass plates. To identify them, the dyed

grains may give the photo a hazy look.

The color paper prints were produced between 1941 and the present. These prints come from 35mm film. To identify the era in which they were taken, look at the details of the photo, such as people’s dress and hairstyles or the styles of homes and other elements in the picture.

Finally, there are the instant photos, taken from about 1947 to the present. These photos are easily defined as having a white border and a glossy picture. They are layered and have thick plastic backings. These photos tend to fade, so you might scan all your instant photos to other media, and store the originals in a dark and cool environment. 

The source I used to help write this column is a great book, “Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs,” by Maureen A. Taylor. (Cincinnati, OH: F&W Publications, 2005).