Revealing Color Photographs of Early 1900s Germany Resemble the Innocence of a Children’s Picture Book

In a stunning collection of over 800 photographs, Germany Around 1900: A Portrait in Colour gives an accurate glimpse at a country full of promise, at the turn-of-the-century. Economy booming, and social outlook at an all time high, these rose-tinted snapshots show a progressive and cosmopolitan country right before the first World War began. Capturing a colourful history that would otherwise remain unknown, the photographs range from fairytale-esque castles high in the Alps and bourgeois mansions to medieval towns and rustic forests.

The images compiled in this book are examples of the Photochrom process, a printing technique that allows the mass production of colour images  from originally black-and-white negatives. Created by Swiss lithographer Hans Jakob Schmid, the rise of this process coincided with a boom in travel within Germany. As a result, many of the photographs collected here are reprints of cherished memories captured within postcards of tourists on vacation in the Germany countryside.

Authored by art historian Karin Lelonek, a specialist in 20th century architecture and photography, Germany Around 1900: A Portrait in Colour is currently available for purchase on TASCHEN.

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via [Mental Floss]

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