autochrome
Definition
Noun: 1. A historical color photography process: "autochrome" refers to an early color photography technique invented by the Lumière brothers in 1903, using a glass plate coated with microscopic grains of dyed potato starch to produce a color image. 2. A photograph made by this process: "autochrome" can also mean a specific image created using this technique.
Usage Examples
- Noun (the process):
- The museum had an exhibition on the history of the autochrome. (The exhibit focused on this early color photography method.)
- Noun (the photograph):
- She inherited a beautiful autochrome of her grandparents from the 1920s. (A color photograph made using the autochrome process.)
Advanced Usage
- "Autochrome plate": The glass plate used in the process.
- The autochrome plate required very long exposure times. (The glass plate needed a lot of light and time to capture an image.)
- "Autochrome Lumière": The full commercial name of the process.
- The Autochrome Lumière was the first commercially successful color photography system. (The Lumière brothers' product was widely sold.)
Variants and Related Words
- Autochromy (n): The technique or art of making autochromes.
- Autochromy was popular among amateur photographers in the early 20th century. (The practice of using autochrome plates.)
Synonyms
- Color plate: A general term for a color photographic plate.
- Lumière process: Named after the inventors, referring specifically to the autochrome method.
Related Idioms
- There are no common idioms specifically involving "autochrome" due to its technical and historical nature. However, in photographic contexts, one might say:
- "A window into the past": Used figuratively to describe autochromes as vivid historical records.
- These autochromes are a window into the past, showing the world in color a century ago. (They provide a direct, colorful view of history.)