Sunday, May 06, 2007

The Wonderful World of Albert Khan

IK, I think you might appreciate this!
clipped from www.bbc.co.uk
Fringe-maker in Galway, Ireland during May 1913 © Musée Albert Kahn
EDWARDIANS IN COLOUR: THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ALBERT KAHN
The Archive of the Planet was the brainchild of the millionaire French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn. Between 1908 and 1930, he used his vast personal fortune to generate what is now generally acknowledged to be the most important collection of early colour photographs in the world. At the time Kahn embarked on this project, colour photography was still in its infancy.
As an idealist and an internationalist, Kahn believed that he could use this system to promote peace and greater understanding among the world's cultures. So he spent a fortune to hire photographers and send them to more than 50 countries all over the world. Altogether, they shot more than 72,000 colour pictures (as well as about 100 hours of film footage) recording everything from religious rituals and cultural practices to momentous political events all over the world.

IN PICTURES
See a selection of images from Albert Kahn's archive
In Pictures (An actor in Hanoi, Tonkin, autumn 1915 © Musée Albert Kahn)

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