Autochrome Transparency
Ten people (visible) in front of pueblo building, identified as "Xn Church" (i.e. Christian). One group of seven appears to be sitting on or standing next to a rock or bench and the remaining three (a man and two children) are straddling a burro. They are all clad in western-style clothing, the exception being the moccasins on the man and one of the children riding the burro. In the far distant background is a high sandstone mesa. (The man and the smaller boy on the burro are grandfather and grandson, Judge Hohmi and Daniel, respectfully, and two of the women are Judge's wife, Sehepmana, and their daughter (Daniel's mother), Ruth -- see accession 97.078 & 97.079 also.)
- 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 #: 97.066