The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine (May 1913): Vol. LXXXVI. New Series: Vol. LXIV. May to October, 1913Various
History
The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine (May 1913): Vol. LXXXVI. New Series: Vol. LXIV. May to October, 1913
Various
Periodicals
The early products of this kinemacolor process were the pictures of
the George V “Coronation” and the “Durbar.” The coronation pictures
are noteworthy for the brilliancy of the scenes, showing in action
thousands of horses, some bay, some chestnut, while others are pure
white, black, or of a peculiar cream color, all of them carrying
gay horsemen, with bright red coats, before a sea of color shown in
the gorgeous hats and exquisite gowns of the spectators and court
attendants. The durbar pictures, of course, are more recent. They
consist of 64,000 feet of pictures taken in Bombay, Calcutta, and
Delhi, where the actual durbar ceremonial of coronation was held. The
pictures at Calcutta, showing the royal elephants, are probably those
which will most impress Americans, particularly those showing the
superb control displayed when, at the mahout’s bidding, the elephants
go into and under the water, head and all, and leave the mahout on his
back apparently standing on the water’s surface. One set of pictures
shows the elephants in the pageant, and illustrates the wonderful color
capabilities of the process by distinctly reproducing on the enormous
cloth of gold covering the elephants the sheen as its folds move with
the elephants’ steps.
In another part of these durbar pictures is shown a sea of color where
fifty thousand troops pass in review before the eyes of the spectator
in ten minutes. Two sets of the pictures show how quick is the action
of this particular process. These are the polo tournament at Delhi and
the cavalry charge, the action in which was so rapid as to require
the machine to take fifty-five pictures a second, in order to show
faithfully all of the movement.
After witnessing pictures so full of interest and so wonderful in
color effect and action, one accustomed to democratic ideas could but
wonder to see moving upon the screen, on a mechanically revolved table,
so inanimate an object as a crown of jewels. Interest, however, was
aroused when it was learned that the appearance of this picture was
due to the fact that, as a mark of high appreciation of the coronation
and durbar pictures, the king broke many precedents and permitted his
crown to be taken for photographing to the private studio of Mr.
Urban, the inventor of the process. Incidentally, too, the crown was
more wonderful than its appearance at a distance indicated; for the
company informed the writer that it is made up of 6170 diamonds, 24
rubies, and 25 emeralds, the largest of which weighs thirty-four carats.
Another mark of the king’s appreciation was his storing away in the
“Jewel Office” of the Tower of London, in hermetically sealed vessels,
a complete set of the pictures, to show posterity at successive
coronations the exact manner in which George V became King of England
and Emperor of India.
FROM BUD TO BLOSSOM
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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