Loie Fuller was an American modern dancer whose career was mainly in France where she introduced Isadora Duncan.
This is an 1896 film made by the Lumiere brothers and it is not, as I first presumed, hand-tinted. The beautiful colour effects are apparently lighting innovations invented and patented by Fuller and projected onto a silk dress. (It is not Fuller herself in this film, but it is her dance.)
Fuller was painted by Toulouse-Lautrec and was close with Queen Marie of Romania. Eh... incredible!!
Do you have a source for, "it is not, as I first presumed, hand-tinted?"
ReplyDeleteI'm researching the films right now and although it is true that Fuller developed her own lighting system, I don't believe any film stock of the time was capable of capturing color. I think the hand tinting was a means of replicating the projected lights, and maybe that is where the confusion lies.
Sorry, no. I just assumed when I read about her lighting innovations that that is what I was seeing.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an academic blog, just an enthusiastic one...
What's your research for?
Late reply:
ReplyDeleteDon't be sorry! It was great to see someone interested in the topic. I was just researching for an essay in film history; I saw this and thought I might have missed something big!
keep up the enthusiasm.