Hand painted and displayed - photochromes of the 1890s

Photochromes - color images made from black and white negatives. As a rule, they are painted by hand. Photochromes appeared as a result of the growing popularity of the process, which peaked in the 1890s.

These images resemble sketches in watercolor, which is explained, first of all, by the unnaturalness of colors. But thanks to him you can see the world as it was 137 years ago.

The essence of the method is to create color images based on colored photonegatives by direct transfer to lithographic printing plates. Its author is the Swedish chemist Hans Jacob Schmidt.

After the First World War, this technology was used only for posters and reproductions. The last printer, which worked on its basis, ceased its work in 1970.