A century ago, the race to perfect color photography led to the creation of autochromes—glass plates coated with light-sensitive emulsions and a fine layer of potato starch. Microscopic particles dyed green, orange, and violet filtered light, capturing the world in vivid color. Join Sara Manco, director of the National Geographic Society’s photo and illustration archives, as she shows off some of her favorite autochromes from the 13,000 plates in the Nat Geo archives that have since been digitized. Learn more about the history of early color photography, autochromes, and the efforts being made to preserve them: https://on.natgeo.com/47GrqTkExplore the World with National Geographic subscriptions: https://natgeo.com/ytngmagazine➡ Subscribe: https://on.natgeo.com/4p5A0D6➡ Get more Nat Geo Full Episodes: https://on.natgeo.com/3V5ZfHI➡ Get wild with Nat Geo Animals Full Episodes: https://on.natgeo.com/3V2EOLOAnd check out more National Geographic series and specials here:➡ Disney Plus: https://on.natgeo.com/3q6on5p➡ Hulu: https://on.natgeo.com/3Qor0Ko➡ NGTV: https://natgeo.com/tv➡ ABC: https://abc.com#NationalGeographic #Autochromes #PhotographyAbout National Geographic:National Geographic is the world's premium destination for critically acclaimed storytelling around science and exploration. Discover amazing wildlife, ancient civilizations, hidden worlds, and the incredible wonders of our Earth. Through world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo inspires fans of all ages to connect with, explore, and care about the world.Get More National Geographic:Official Site: https://nationalgeographic.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/natgeo Facebook: https://facebook.com/natgeoThreads: https://threads.com/@natgeoX: https://x.com/NatGeoLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/national-geographicTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@natgeoReddit: https://reddit.com/user/nationalgeographicPinterest: https://pinterest.com/natgeoLearn about the history of early color photography 📸 #NationalGeographichttps://youtube.com/shorts/T6YdnIb6O84National Geographicyoutube.com/natgeo