Autochrome Transparency
Entitled "Home" (as written on edge of transparency), this appears to be members of an extended family inside their pueblo dwelling. The walls are white-washed and several textiles hang in one corner. There are four women seated, three of which seem to be traditional Hopi, and one that may be a convert or missionary. The traditional women all have small children in their laps and each wears her hair in traditional Hopi womens braids. The more "western" woman is holding a hat and has her hair up in a bun. She's wearing a dress with a broach at the neck and an overcoat. Standing behind all the women are two boys, probably 10-13 years of age. One is in denim overalls and the other in slacks and a jacket that is buttoned crooked. They have stern and solemn looks on their faces, as do all the women...except the missionary, who's smiling.
- Object: Autochrome Transparency
- Artist: George Holt
- Circa: Early to mid 1920s
- Dimensions: 3 1/4" x 4"
- Culture Area: Southwest
- Cultural Group: Hopi
- Cultural Context: The autochrome transparencies in the Flegal collection were taken by George Holt, the donor's father. He was a chaplain for the baptist church and travelled all over the world visiting missionaries and subsequenthy photographing neophytes in various locales. The autochrome process was the first commercially successful color application of photography which enabled photographers like Holt to get high quality color photos of their subjects. However, the burden of carrying numerous unexposed glass plates to remote locations often proved cumbersome, at best. As a sidebar, the historic significance of autochrome is worth noting. As mentioned earlier, autochromes were "the first viable color photographic process." The process was patented in 1907 by Auguste and Louis Lumiere of France. "The autochrome 'screen' was created by forming a layer of minute starch grains dyed in the primary colors (red, blue, green) ..." which was over lain with a layer of lampblack (filling the space between the grains) then a layer of shellack. "So when exposed, the light traversed the glass through the grain and exposed the light/color sensitive emulsion from the back. After exposure (using a view camera on a tripod) the plate was processed to reverse in an acid dichromate-type process."
- Donor: Mrs. Carl Flegal
- Catalog #: 97.059