Poetic dentists and colorful PPIE

The Story of the Exposition was written by Frank Morton Todd (FMT), the man with three first names or maybe three last names. Sometimes I can't even remember which name comes first. But I love these books! They are chock full of information about PPIE.

It was in The Story of the Exposition, where I originally found the time frame of when the palms for the Avenue of the Palms were boxed and then shipped over from the California Nursery ("Niles") to SF. This has helped me find the right shipping records.

Originally, I only knew about the google books scan for FMT's book and could only find 2 volumes. The other three are at the local library, but searching electronically is essential.







So it was fantastic to find all five volumes in the Hathi Trust. Scans were done by the University of Michigan and Harvard. I think I have seen some photos might be black and white in one scan and color in the other. Sometimes you will see the scanner's fingers and half pages. You may need to check both copies.

I have been admiring the lovely but gaudily colored pictures in The Story of the Exposition. Check out that picture above. It says "Autochrome by the Cardinell-Vincent Company". The title is "Copa de Oro".

(While searching for "Copa de oro panama pacific" I found the Transactions of the Panama Pacific Dental Conference, held at PPIE. I only mention this in case you are interested in 100 year old dental technology. Gotta look at those old chompers. The reason this conference came up was because those poetic dentists must have had a little literature break, the reading of the poem "California (Tierra del Copa de Oro or Land of the Cup of Gold)" "Copa de Oro - Cup of Gold - Spanish name for our Eschscholtzia or California poppy".)

Autochromes at PPIE (When the World Turned to Color)

So park the teeth, back to the color photo. That "Copa de Oro" picture claims to be an autochome. What's an autochrome you might ask. Check that link out and come back after you've chased those other links. Pretty amazing technology for a century ago.

It was eye-opening to see an actual autochrome of PPIE.  Check out these Smithsonian beauties of PPIE taken with color photography. It's just like when the world turned to color and became real in Wizard of Oz. You can almost make out the murals by William de Leftwich Dodge in the domed hallway of the Tower of Jewels. George Eastman House has a beautiful photo of the flower gardens behind the Palace of Horticulture.

From Musuem of American History

The photo "Copa de Oro" is pretty gaudy, compared to those real Autochromes. So I wondered if it's really a print of an autochrome that's hand-tinted. I didn't know the technology for printing autochrome in 1915, but most autochromes say they are on glass plates.

That wikipedia article answered this question: "Vintage reproductions of Autochromes in old books and magazines have often been noticeably hand-adjusted by the photoengravers in an effort to compensate for some of the difficulties of reproduction, and as a result they sometimes look more like hand-colored photographs than "natural color" ones. In short, it is very difficult to form an accurate impression of the appearance of any Autochrome image without seeing the original "in person" and correctly illuminated."

from Wikipedia

Not only was it difficult back then, but it still is difficult. The starch grains don't necessarily match the colors used today for reproduction. Wiki again "Making modern film or digital copies of Autochromes introduces other problems, because a color system based on red, green, and blue is being used to copy an image which exists in a red-orange, green, and blue-violet system, providing further opportunities for color degradation."

Autochrome mystery photographers

The Smithsonia article says they don't know who took those PPIE Autochrome photos.
I wondered if any of those photos might have turned up in FMT's book.

In the Acknowledgements of volume 1 of the FMT book, page xvii, it says:

In the publication of this account great assistance was rendered to the most elusive and difficult part of the record by the color photographs taken by Charles J. Belden, the Cardinell-Vincent Company, George P. Clifton, C. L. Grover, Courtney A. Rebitt, and Leon P. Lowe. Printed here by means of photo-engraving, these pictures preserve the only faithful representation of the actual tints of the Exposition buildings, gardens, statuary, fountains, and pools. All these photographs were beautiful, and an autochrome of the Sculpture Rotunda, taken by Mr. Lowe, a distinguished San Francisco amateur of color photography, is undoubtedly one of the loveliest pictures ever made by means of a camera. 

 Miscellany

• Autochromes and vintage gardens
• More George Eastman Autochromes
• Leon P. Lowe, googled, looks like an inventor along with his brother Thaddeus.
• In the N.E.L.A. Bulletin, p. 120, volume 5 (National Electric Light Association), at the January 8, 1918 meeting, "Leon P. Lowe showed some of his autochromes. At the close of his talk Mr Britton introduced Mr Leon P. Lowe the well known gas engineer who has made a hobby of autochrome photography and kindly consented to entertain the Section by exhibiting his collection of pictures. Before beginning the exhibition Mr Lowe gave a brief description of the processes used in autochrome self coloring photography. He then showed a large collection of most beautiful and remarkable pictures which he had taken of the grounds and buildings of the Panama Pacific International Exposition. The colors were absolutely natural and the scenes brought back to mind thoughts of the many pleasant hours spent in that Dream City by the Golden Gate also a feeling of deep regret that the marvelous exposition is now a thing of the past. Mr Lowe then showed a number of pictures of still life fruits and flowers and familiar objects about the home and the coloring as well as the artistic value of these pictures met with enthusiastic approval. Very few people have had the privilege of seeing autochrome photographs and the section was fortunate indeed in having such excellent entertainment."