World’s first colour photo
QUESTION What was the subject of the world’s first colour photograph?
James Clerk maxwell (1831-79), a scottish mathematical physicist, formulated the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, explaining the relationship between electricity and magnetism. But he was also interested in psychology, particularly the theory of colour perception. and that led to his experiments in colour photography.
Using prisms, Isaac Newton had earlier demonstrated that white light, such as sunlight, is composed of a number of monochromatic components which could then be recombined into white light.
In 1855, maxwell presented his paper entitled experiments On Colour, as Perceived By The eye, with remarks On Colour Blindness, to the royal society of edinburgh. He demonstrated, using a coloured top, that any natural hue could be produced from the three primary colours — red, green and blue.
maxwell’s major paper in optics, On The Theory Of Colour Vision, was presented to the royal society of london in 1860 and was awarded the rumford medal.
During an 1861 royal Institution lecture on colour theory, maxwell’s work culminated in the first colour photograph. He displayed the picture of a scottish tartan ribbon at a lecture on his colour investigations at the royal Institute in may 1861.
maxwell had the photographer Thomas sutton photograph a tartan ribbon three times, each time with a different colour filter (red, green or blue-violet) over the lens.
The three photographs were developed, printed on glass, then projected onto a screen with three different projectors, each equipped with the same colour filter used to photograph it. when superimposed on the screen, the three images formed a fullcolour image.
Oddly, maxwell’s method was largely ignored. most colour photograph research focused on the work of the Francoluxembourgish physicist and inventor Gabriel lippmann.
In 1886, lippmann used wave interference to produce a number of colour photographs, a discovery which won him the Nobel Prize in physics. However, the process was complex; it required fine-grained highresolution emulsions that needed longer exposure times, it had trouble with the broader bands of wavelength colours created by reflections, and the process required the use of toxic mercury.
By the turn of the century, maxwell’s method was re-examined; the German scientist Hermann wilhelm Vogel discovered he could use the three-colour theory to create emulsions only sensitive to particular colours by adding specific dyes.
By the early 20th century the emulsions proved accurate and sensitive enough for traditional photography.
Today, maxwell’s three-colour approach underlies nearly all forms of colour photography, whether film-based, analogue video, or digital. His three photographic plates are now in a small museum at 14 India street, edinburgh, the house where maxwell was born.
Paul Murray, Edinburgh.
QUESTION Was Van Morrison once a window cleaner?
THIs no doubt refers to Van’s classic 1982 track Cleaning windows, a great slice of r&B hidden among his mystical musings on the album Beautiful Vision.
The song is a nostalgic look back at a carefree time in morrison’s life when he was a part-time musician, playing saxophone with Irish showband Clubsound at the weekend.
according to steve Turner in the book Too late To stop Now: ‘Van sketched the details of his life during 1961 and 1962, and captured the balance between his contentment at work and his aspirations to learn more about music.
‘It conveyed the impression that his happiness with the mundane routine of smoking woodbine cigarettes, eating Paris buns and drinking lemonade was made possible by the promise that at the end of the day he could enter the world of books and records.’
after leaving Orangefield school at 16, Van’s mother Violet secured him a job as an apprentice fitter. apparently he hated it. The famously shy and surly morrison failed to establish a relationship with his colleagues. He soon left and found a job at a bacon curing factory.
During this time, morrison had formed a firm friendship with Clubsound’s other saxophonist, Geordie sproule, nine years his senior. sproule, a part-time steelworker who would supplement his income by cleaning windows, asked him to help out on his round. when a new steel contract came in, morrison continued the round with various other people, including one sammy woodburn, later immortalised in the song: ‘oh, Sam was up on top / And I was on the bottom with the V.’
Jim Brough, Malvern, Worcs.
QUESTION Why is Mark Clarke always referred to as a ‘Tatler Tory’? What is it?
mark Clarke was given this nickname after being profiled in the October 2008 issue of Tatler magazine for a piece about the rising stars of the Conservative Party, with shaun Bailey, kulveer ranger (who worked for Boris Johnson as director for transport policy), Charlotte leslie (mP for Bristol North-west), Nicola Blackwood and Helen whately (mP for Faversham and mid kent).
The point was to illustrate how the Tories had changed under David Cameron, ‘how the new generation of Conservatives defy any stereotype’.
Tatler argued that the prospective parliamentary candidates had diverse backgrounds — they came from comprehensives and grammar schools, as well as from private schools and had grown up on estates more urban than rural.
Of course, Tatler has a reputation for being ‘posh’, so it might appear that ‘Tatler Tory’ referred to the stereotypical ‘posh’ Tory. mark Clarke went to london’s Dulwich College after gaining a government-assisted place. In 2010, he stood as the Conservative Party candidate for Tooting, but lost to sadiq khan.
He subsequently founded the road Trip campaigning group which organised busloads of young party members to campaign in key marginal seats during the 2015 election. He was banned from the party earlier this year after allegations of bullying were made — allegations which he has denied. Alison Edwards, Manchester.