Photographs for the Tsar: The Pioneering Color Photography of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II - gebunden oder broschiert

The photographs in this extraordinary book are the work of a previously unknown pioneer in early twentieth-century color photography, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii - commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1909 to travel throughout the Russian Empire photographing things of interest and significance. Usually one is accustomed to seeing images of that era in sepia tones but in fact these images are in color. Prokudin-Gorskii, a chemist as well as a photographer, developed one of the earliest processes for taking color pictures and was the editor for many years of a St Petersburg journal, The Amateur Photographer. He took six years to execute the Tsar's commission and traveled vast distances in a special railway car outfitted with a darkroom. He became one of the countless emigres to flee Russia in 1918, disappearing into relative obscurity first in Norway and later in England and France. He managed to bring out of Russia his collection of nearly 2000 glass-plate negatives. This book, produced with the cooperation of the National Archives and the Library of Congress, contains 120 of his finest color photographs - including the only extant photo in color of Leo Tolstoy. Another 120 have been reproduced in sepia from black and white prints. This book is landmark contribution to the history of photography, destined to become a classic in its field.