The final part in this three-part series on Orthochromatic Photography, describes how scientists used new light and color measurement techniques to characterize photographic plates and determine the precise specifications required for color photography and color printing. Many of the concepts developed during this period can be seen reflected in the work of the CIE that defined modern colorimetry decades later.
View More Orthochromatic Photography, Part 3: Prelude to the CIE…
William Kurtz created the first successful three-color letterpress print in the world. His example inspired the growth of color in the commercial printing industry, but it did not come without a cost. Kurtz invested his entire fortune in three-color research without any return, then lost his key patent to a corporate collective bent on monopolizing process color printing in America, bullying engraving firms to either join the collective or cease process color work altogether. This is the story of William Kurtz, his patent, and the attempt to monopolize color printing in America.
View More William Kurtz and the Attempt To Monopolize Color Printing in America
First, it is my pleasure to welcome you to CMYK History! This is the first post of a site that I hope will serve as a platform for those interested in the history of color. Before starting on this research, I had just finished reading the wonderful book, “Mauve,” by Simon Garfield (about William Perkins and his invention of the first aniline dye), and was looking for my next adventure into the history of color. Having worked in the printing industry for many years, much…
View More Thomas A. Lenci and the Eagle Printing Ink Company