These Autochrome Photos From The 1920s And ’30s Resulted An A Painting-Like Quality That Not Even Today’s Best Instagram Filters Can Replicate

The method used to make these dreamy photographs resulted in a painting-like quality that not even today’s best Instagram filters can replicate.

Autochromes owe much of this stylized look to the method in which photos were made. Using a glass plate coated with dyed red, green, and blue potato starches, a layer of emulsion was then added to the plate. These plates were then inserted into the camera, which had a lens that filtered the light that passed through the glass.

The technique became popular at National Geographic for its ability to showcase different parts of the world in vibrant color. Autochromes were so widely used that the magazine now has one of the largest collections in the world, second only to Albert Kahn’s Archive of the Planet.

More info: Albert Kahn’s Archive, National Geographic (h/t: vintag.es)