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The following article is an extract from the book Moving Pictures - How They are Made and
Worked by F.A. Talbot. Published in 1912, the book gives a fascinating insight into the
development of motion pictures in their infancy. This extract is especially interesting, as it deals
with the attempts to obtain motion in natural color.

The perfection attained in the projection of animation upon the screen in black and white
naturally stimulated efforts towards the achievement of similar results in natural colours. As a
matter of fact, experiments in this direction were undertaken long before monochrome cinema-
tography was perfected. W. F. Greene indicated the development when he produced his instru-
ment in 1889; while as far back as 1897 Frederick E. Ives, celebrated for his efforts to solve the
problem of still-life natural colour photography, outlined a means of applying his process to
cinematography with glass plates, the celluloid film not having appeared at that date. No doubt
he was urged to this development by the wonderful results achieved in chronophotography with
glass plates by Dr. Marey in Paris.

Since that year experimenters without end have grappled with the problem; but little material
success has been achieved. Indeed, commercial cinematography in the true colours of Nature
appears to be as far from realisation as a simple process of still-life colour photography. Nature
defies the photographic investigator to capture and reproduce the myriad tints and hues in which
she is garbed.

We see colour pictures upon the white screen, but with one or two exceptions the tints are the
result of the artist’s handiwork. An ordinary black and white film is taken, and then coloured, in
the same way that the photographic artist tints his portraits. If the work is skilfully performed the
results are distinctly pleasing and effective. After one has been watching brilliant black and white
pictures, the introduction of a coloured film comes as a restful interlude to the eyes. The coloured
cinematograph film was introduced by Robert Paul, shortly after he established his studio. As
lantern slides could be coloured by hand with brush and paints, he saw no reason why a film 40
feet in length should not be treated in the same way. Accordingly he enlisted the services of an
expert artist to make the experiment. But it was a laborious undertaking. A picture measuring
only 1 inch wide by 3/4ths of an inch in depth is a base of operations quite different from a lantern
slide measuring 3¼ inches square. A magnifying glass had to be used, and a considerable length
of time was needed to treat a whole film.

One of the earliest colour effects to which the public were introduced was a film produced
by James Williamson, in the 'nineties of the last century. It depicted a fire. The conflagration
was enacted realistically, an abandoned house being used for the purpose. The flames and the
entire scene were coloured, giving additional sensationalism to the picture. At that time
coloured film was very rarely seen, owing to the expense involved in its production, and when
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