Kinemacolor was the most successful process for colouring early cinema. Invented in 1906 by film pioneer George Albert Smith, it achieved the illusion of colour by capturing and projecting black-and-white film through alternating red and green filters. The first Kinemacolor motion picture ever filmed was A Visit to the Seaside (1908), and the first public screenings were held in London a year later. During the height of its popularity, more than 260 films were made with Kinemacolor and exhibited across Europe and the United States in over 250 venues.
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Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-05. Sound and Colour → MI-05-C03