The World in 1900 — A Colour Portrait

The images on these pages reveal a world that was lost. The photochrome process, perfected in 1889, harnessed new technologies to combine the accuracy of a photograph with the richness and colour of a painting. Here is a wonderful collection of more than 300 images from the heyday of the technique. Their freshness, realism and naive charm make them unique witnesses of their time. Photochrome images were often turned into postcards and distributed throughout Europe and the United States, astonishing and captivating contemporaries, who had never before seen faraway places captured in evocative colour. A vanished world comes alive – landscapes and portraits from all around the globe, represented with stunning detail.