Colouring the World. The Autochromes of Robert Bland Bird

Find out more about this collection of early colour photography made using the Autochrome process. Photographed by Robert Bland Bird who was a member of the Royal Photographic Society from 1915 until his death in 1960, these 224 Autochromes have been donated to the Royal Photographic Society.

[@ianwallace-photographyian_8097]

Autochromes have such a wonderful character. Fantastic collection.

[@maxustaxus]

This is a great film....it is so interesting and well put together. I have a collection of 9.5mm film footage of the Bird family retreat at "Plas Tanat", near Welshpool. A large house sitting in about 11 acres. The footage covers the 1920s, and shows family stuff of the time...including at least one of the fabled yellow Rolls Royce's. I wonder if it may be film taken by Robert Bird...?

[@richardbrown1189]

Very informative and interesting film. Thanks Michael. I hope to get down to Bristol to see the Autochromes sometime soon, lockdown permitting.

[@michaelpetersenfilm]

This guy is a discovery as an Autochrome photographer. Interestingly he experimented with flashlight, as one Autochrome plate inscription suggests, that's probably why his shots inside the home are so colourful. Would buy a book on him right away. He is missing inside the in-depth German book THE AUTOCHROME IN GREAT BRITAIN (2017). Would have liked to see some shots of his movies. Must have been amazing first to shoot in the brand new Autochrome process and then 16mm gets invented, a hundred years ago. Currently I'm shooting a 16mm film on 1912 postcards of my hometown of Kiel made from Autochrome plates :-)

[@maureencurryhbhgg6202]

Such beautiful photographs

[@johnschuetz5599]

Throughly fascinated by the historical documentation ; for this photographer worth every second of footage in documentation. It seems Mr Bird had a fascination that he must have kept intimate for him self and no doubt family and friends. I am curious to know more. Thank you so much for sharing,

[@JW-iy9bq]

Amazing

[@TheRoyalPhotographicSociety]

Thank you!

[@regiltube7932]

Generations in 2080 - 2148 are lucky to see vivid clear pictures of their Ancestors in the 1970s and 2020s. Especially we have KZbin, the pop culture of Tiktok, Facebook, and Instagram. In the early 21st century.

[@JoseighBlogs]

As a 'private political person' _me_ ears pricked at 'Robert' _(what a bright and famous name?)_ as of right because he was a particular kind of baronial toff of his undemocratic time slithering so smoothly into the parliamentary seat of his dad's upon his father's death. Gosh! Not only _photography_ but _politics too._ Anyways, it's of some comfort to note Robert's photographic archive is so holistically, if not wholly, looked after for HM's nation within The Royal Photographic Society's collection. Not so Harrow School's which of recent time held the archive of photo studio Hills & Saunders _photographers to royalty and of public schools._ H&S's very pretty archive including plate glass negs and log books were pretty much given away - were found even more recently rotting away in a southern barn to appear now on Ebay the plate glass negs of quaint Victorian and Edwardian portraiture auctioned off individually. What was Harrow School thinking of so uncreatively to dump its care of H&S's photographic history?