Handschiegl / DeMille-Wyckoff / Wyckoff Process
Description
Similar to stenciling, the Handschiegl process was applied mechanically to manually defined image parts. Therefore it is an applied color process.
After the film was shot and edited, for each color applied a separate print was made. In contrast to stenciling, the image parts which were to be colored were covered with an opaque paint. Subsequently a dupe-negative was made. A tanning developer hardened the gelatin in the exposed areas while leaving the blocked-out areas soft. The softer parts absorbed the acid dyes which were then transferred onto the positive print during an imbibition process. Usually up to three colors were applied to a film. The process allowed for subtle blending of different colors.
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Black-and-white with Handschiegl in Lights of Old Broadway (USA 1925, Monta Bell). Credit: Library of Congress. Photograph of the nitrate print by Barbara Flueckiger.
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Credit: Geo. Willeman, Nitrate Film Vault Manager, Library of Congress. Film: Trail of ’98 (USA 1929, Clarence Brown).
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Credit: Geo. Willeman, Nitrate Film Vault Manager, Library of Congress. Film: Trail of ’98 (USA 1929, Clarence Brown).
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Credit: Paolo Cherchi Usai. Source: Cherchi Usai, Paolo (2000): Silent Cinema. London: BFI. Film: Greed (USA 1925, Erich von Stroheim).
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Credit: Geo. Willeman, Nitrate Film Vault Manager, Library of Congress. Film: Forbidden Fruit (USA 1921, Cecil B. DeMille).
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Credit: Geo. Willeman, Nitrate Film Vault Manager, Library of Congress. Film: Forbidden Fruit (USA 1921, Cecil B. DeMille).
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Source: Ryan, Roderick T. (1977): A History of Motion Picture Color Technology. London: Focal Press, p. 24.
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Credit: Geo. Willeman, Nitrate Film Vault Manager, Library of Congress. Film: Trail of ’98 (USA 1929, Clarence Brown).
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Original Technical Papers and Primary Sources
Alvin Wyckoff and Max Handschiegl, U.S.P No. 1,303,836. May 13, 1919 and U.S.P No. 1,303,837. May, 1919.
Kelley, William Van Doren (1925): Color Photography Patents (cont.). In: Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, 24, Oct., pp. 149–161, on p. 150 and on p. 151. View Quote, Download PDF
Kelley, William Van Doren (1927): Imbibition Coloring of Motion Picture Films. In: Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, 10, 28, 1927, pp. 238-241. View Quote
Secondary Sources
Alt, Dirk (2011): “Der Farbfilm marschiert!” Frühe Farbfilmverfahren und NS-Propaganda 1933-1945. München: Belleville, on pp. 36–37. (in German) View Quote
Basten, Fred E. (1980): Glorious Technicolor. The Movies’ Magic Rainbow. South Brunswick: Barnes, on p. 14. View Quote
Cherchi Usai, Paolo (2000): Silent Cinema. London: BFI, pp. 32-33. View Quote
Coe, Brian (1981): The History of Movie Photography. Westfield, N.J.: Eastview Editions, p. 114. View Quote
Hanssen, Eirik Frisvold (2006): Early Discourses on Colour and Cinema. Origins, Functions, Meanings. = Diss. University of Stockholm (Stockholm Cinema Studies, No. 2, p. 80.
Kelley, William Van Doren (1931): The Handschiegl and Pathéchrome Color Process. In: Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, 18,2, 1931, pp. 230-234. View Quote
Layton, James; Pierce, David (2015): The Dawn of Technicolor. Rochester: George Eastman House, on p. 111 View Quote and on p. 126. View Quote
Misek, Richard (2010): Chromatic Cinema. A History of Screen Color. John Wiley & Sons, on p. 22. View Quote
Nowotny, Robert A. (1983): The Way of all Flesh Tones. A History of Color Motion Picture Processes, 1895-1929. New York: Garland Pub., pp. 15-17. View Quote
Pierotti, Federico (2012): La seduzione dello spettro. Storia e cultura del colore nel cinema. Genova: Le Mani-Microart, on pp. 96–97. (in Italian) View Quote
Read, Paul (2009): ‘Unnatural Colours’: An introduction to colouring techniques in silent era movies. In: Film History, Vol. 21, No. 1, p. 16 View Quote, see list of handschiegl dyes on p. 37. View Quote
Ryan, Roderick T. (1977): A History of Motion Picture Color Technology. London: Focal Press, pp. 23-24. View Quote
Stokes, Melvyn (2009): Colour in American Cinema. From The Great Train Robbery to Bonnie and Clyde. In: Raphaëlle Costa de Beauregard (ed.): Cinéma et couleur. Paris: M. Houdiard, pp. 184–192, on p. 185. View Quote
Films
The Three Musketeers (USA 1921, Fred Niblo)1
When Knighthood Was In Flower (USA 1922, Robert G. Vignola)1
The Ten Commandments (USA 1923, Cecil B. DeMille) (sequences)4, 6, 11
Trail of ’98 (USA 1929, Clarence Brown)
Joan, the Woman (USA 1916, Cecil B. DeMille)1, 2
The Red Light
Greed (USA 1925, Erich von Stroheim)
Irene
The Volcano
The Flaming Forest
Phantom of the Opera (sequences) (U, USA 1925, Rupert Julian)6, 8, 9, 12
The Merry Widow3
The Big Parade
Sally
Seven Keys to Baldpate
The Viennese Medley
The Splendid Road
Mike
Lights of Old Broadway (USA 1925, Monta Bell) (sequences)5
The Birth of a Nation (USA 1915, D.W. Griffith) (with Handschiegl sequences)1
Intolerance (USA 1916, D. W. Griffith) (with Handschiegl sequences)1, 10
A Blind Bargain (USA 1922, Wallace Worsley) (lost)
The Fire Brigade (sequences) (MGM, USA 1926, William Nigh)7, 14
The King of Kings (sequences) (Pathe, USA 1927, Cecil B. DeMille)7
Hell’s Angels (USA 1930, Howard Hughes) (sequences)13
1 Basten, Fred E. (1980): Glorious Technicolor. The Movies’ Magic Rainbow. South Brunswick: Barnes, on p. 14. View Quote
2 Pierotti, Federico (2012): La seduzione dello spettro. Storia e cultura del colore nel cinema. Genova: Le Mani-Microart, on pp. 96–97. (in Italian) View Quote
3 Pierotti, Federico (2012): La seduzione dello spettro. Storia e cultura del colore nel cinema. Genova: Le Mani-Microart, on pp. 127–128. (in Italian)
4 Layton, James; Pierce, David (2015): The Dawn of Technicolor. Rochester: George Eastman House, on pp. 99–102.
5 Layton, James; Pierce, David (2015): The Dawn of Technicolor. Rochester: George Eastman House, on pp. 125–126.
6 Kitsopanidou, Kira (2009): “Glorious Technicolor”. La stratégie d’innovation de la couleur de Technicolor dans l’industrie cinématographique Américaine. In: Raphaëlle Costa de Beauregard (ed.): Cinéma et couleur. Paris: M. Houdiard, pp. 193–206, on p. 194. (in French)
7 Behlmer, Rudy (1964): Technicolor. In: Films in Review, 15,6, pp. 333–351, on pp. 337–342.
8 Traber, Bodo (1995): Dramaturgische Funktionen monochromer Farbgebung im Stummfilm. In: Karl-Dietmar Möller-Nass Möller-Nass, Hasko Schneider and Hans J. Wulff (eds.): 1. Film- und Fernsehwissenschaftliches Kolloquium. Münster: MAkS, pp. 30–36, on pp. 30–35. (in German)
9 Traber, Bodo (1995): Dramaturgische Funktionen monochromer Farbgebung im Stummfilm. In: Karl-Dietmar Möller-Nass Möller-Nass, Hasko Schneider and Hans J. Wulff (eds.): 1. Film- und Fernsehwissenschaftliches Kolloquium. Münster: MAkS, pp. 30–36, on pp. 31–33. (in German) View Quote
10 Gunning, Tom (2013): Where Do Colors Go at Night? In: Simon Brown, Sarah Street and Liz Watkins (eds.): Color and the Moving Image. History, Theory, Aesthetics, Archive. New York, London: Routledge, pp. 81–92, on pp. 82–86.
11 Birchard, Robert S. (1992): The Ten Commandments (1923). DeMille Completes Personal Exodus. In: American Cinematographer, 73,10, pp. 76–80, on pp. 76–77. View Quote
12 Higgins, Scott (2007): Harnessing the Technicolor Rainbow. Color Design in the 1930s. Austin: University of Texas Press, on pp. 3–4.
13 Higgins, Scott (2007): Harnessing the Technicolor Rainbow. Color Design in the 1930s. Austin: University of Texas Press, on pp. 213–223.
14 Brownlow, Kevin (2022): The Fire Brigade. In: San Francisco Silent Film Festival, 2022, n. p. View Link
Downloads
Kelley, William Van Doren (1927): Imbibition Coloring of Motion Picture Films. In: Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers 10,28, 1927, pp. 238-241.
Download PDFKelley, William Van Doren (1931): The Handschiegl and Pathéchrome Color Process. In: Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, 18,2, 1931, pp. 230-234.
Download PDFKelley, William Van Doren (1925): Color Photography Patents (cont.). In: Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, 24, Oct., pp. 149–161.
Download PDF
Patents
Alvin Wyckoff and Max Handschiegl, U.S.P. No. 1,303,836. May 13, 1919
Download PDFAlvin Wyckoff and Max Handschiegl U.S.P. No. 1,303,837. May 13, 1919.
Download PDF
Links
A listing of Handschiegl tones is available on p. 36 in
Read, Paul (2009): ‘Unnatural Colours’. An Introduction to Colouring Techniques in Silent Era Movies. In: Film History, 21.1, pp. 9-46.
Contemporary Reception
The Affairs of Anatol (USA 1921, Cecil B. DeMille):
Smith, Agnes (1921): The Screen in Review. The Affairs of Anatol. In: Picture-Play Magazine, XV,1, Sep., p. 58. View Quote
Full text on the Media History Digital Library website. View Link
Whitely Fletcher, Adele (1921): Across the Silversheet. New Screen Plays In Review. In: Motion Picture Magazine, XXII,8, Sep., pp. 68–69, on p. 69. View Quote
Full text on the Media History Digital Library website. View Link
The Fire Brigade (USA 1926, William Nigh)
Brownlow, Kevin (2022): The Fire Brigade. In: San Francisco Silent Film Festival, 2022, n. p. View Link
The Phantom of the Opera (USA 1925, Rupert Julian):
Barr, Al (1925): A Duplex Report on The Phantom. In: Exhibitors Herald, XXII,12, Sep., p. 52. View Quote
Benson, Sally (1925): The Screen in Review. Expensive and Everything. In: Picture-Play Magazine, XXIII,4, Dec., p. 59. View Quote
Hall, Mordaunt (1925): The Screen. A Fantastic Melodrama. In: The New York Times, Sep., p. 15. View Quote
Full text on The New York Times website. View Link
The Ten Commandments (USA 1923, Cecil B. DeMille):
Anonymous (1923): The Screen. In: New York Times, Dec., p. 8. View Quote
Anonymous (1924): The Ten Commendations of The Ten Commandments. In: Variety, LXXIII,7, Jan., p. 69. View Quote
Anonymous (1924): The Shadow Stage. A Review of the New Pictures. The Ten Commandments. In: Photoplay, XXV,3, Feb., p. 62. View Quote
Selected Analyses
The Affairs of Anatol (USA 1921, Cecil B. DeMille):
Fischer, Lucy (2017): Cinema by Design. Art Nouveau, Modernism and Film History. New York: Columbia University Press, on p. 76. View Quote
Street, Sarah; Yumibe, Joshua (2019): Chromatic Modernity. Color, Cinema, and Media of the 1920s. New York: Columbia University Press, on pp. 89–93. View Quote
The Phantom of the Opera (USA 1925, Rupert Julian):
Traber, Bodo (1995): Dramaturgische Funktionen monochromer Farbgebung im Stummfilm. In: Karl-Dietmar Möller-Nass Möller-Nass, Hasko Schneider and Hans J. Wulff (eds.): 1. Film- und Fernsehwissenschaftliches Kolloquium. Münster: MAkS, pp. 30–36, on pp. 31–33. (in German) View Quote
The Ten Commandments (USA 1923, Cecil B. DeMille):
Birchard, Robert S. (1992): The Ten Commandments (1923). DeMille Completes Personal Exodus. In: American Cinematographer, 73,10, pp. 76–80, on pp. 76–77. View Quote
Layton, James; Pierce, David (2015): The Dawn of Technicolor. Rochester: George Eastman House, on pp. 99–102. View Quote
