3/15/2012

The only known color photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Baha

This photograph is not a copy of a painting nor is it a hand-tinted version of a photograph. It represents the first edition of a full-color lithograph of the only known color photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. The announcement regarding the availability of printed copies appeared in the March 1974 issue of the Baha’i News. The photograph was taken in Paris in 1911 as part of early experiments in color photography. The glass negatives were discovered in the early 1970’s by a Baha’i researcher in the field. A copy negative was prepared and sent to the Archives in Haifa. The US Baha’i Publishing Trust was able to borrow the negative to ensure as exact a reproduction as possible of the three colors used in the original process.
(Adapted from the back cover of Baha’i News, March 1974)