These Were The First Photos To Show America's Landscapes In All Their Vivid Colors

These Were The First Photos To Show America's Landscapes In All Their Vivid Colors

Even before color photography was publicly available, one enterprising firm found a way to provide the world with the earliest glimpse of North America's extraordinary landscapes in color.

These intricately-colored images, shared by private collector Marc Walter in the upcoming book "An American Odyssey," were originally published by the Detroit Publishing Company in a collection that spans from 1888 to 1924. The firm took black and white negatives and imbued them with color via a newly-invented printing process called photocrom, to which it obtained exclusive rights in America. The 1901 catalog boasts that the photocrom prints "combine the truthfulness of a photograph with the color and richness of an oil painting or the delicate tinting of the most exquisite water color."

From the buzz of New York City to the expansive canyons of Arizona, the collection provides a fascinating glimpse into America's past, in all its vibrancy.

Marc Walter / Taschen
Mulberry Street, New York.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Mount Lowe railway, on the circular bridge, California.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Grand Canyon, view from O'Neill's Point, Arizona.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Sunset from the Battery, New York.
Marc Walter / Taschen
A Monday washing, New York.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Homestake mine, South Dakota.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Magnolia-on-the-Ashley, Charleston.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Clear Creek Canyon, Georgetown loop, Colorado.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Zuni people, the rain dance, New Mexico.
Marc Walter / Taschen
Mariposa Grove, 'Three Graces', Yosemite national park, California.
Taschen

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