The original lady in red: Haunting collection of one-hundred-year-old images starring strawberry blonde teenager revealed to be among the earliest surviving colour photographs
• Photographer Mervyn O'Gorman was 42 when he snapped the pictures in 1913
• Mervyn was known as an early pioneer of colour photography and used the Autochrome process
• His teenage daughter Christina O'Gorman posed in red swimsuit at Lulworth Cove, Dorset
• Autochrome photography process used dye and starch to create the melancholy tone
Creating romantic, sepia-toned images is a cinch now that we have Instagram filters to play with.
But back in the early 21st century, taking a picture was an entirely different process, requiring patience, precision and a very talented eye.
Dreamlike snaps of a young woman in red posing at Lulworth Cove, Dorset, in 1913 have now been revealed as some of the earliest surviving colour photographs.
The ethereal images were taken on the beach at Lulworth Cove, Dorset, when Malcolm was 42
The images, which are currently on display at the National Media Museum, Bradford, are among a collection of the world's oldest surviving photographs.
The woman in question was teenager Christina O'Gorman, posing for her father, electrical engineer and photographer Mervyn O'Gorman back in 1913
Mervyn was 42 at the time when he took the images of his daughter, who languidly sits, in an array of vibrant red outfits, including a swimsuit, a cloak and a shirt.
The teen, characterised by her long strawberry-blonde hair, poses in different scenarios on the beach at Lulworth Cove in the English county of Dorset and appears unaware of her father.
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The strawberry-blonde teenager wore red, probably at the request of her father as the vibrant colour captured particularly well via the autochrome process
Mervyn was known as an early pioneer of colour photography and used the autochrome process to capture the haunting images.
Patented in 1903, the process involved using glass plates covered in potato starches grains to filter pictures with dye.
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Mervyn was known as an early pioneer of colour photography and often used the autochrome process, which involved using glass plates covered in potato starches grains to filter pictures with dye
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Christina's life remains a mystery as there are no recorded detail of the then-teen's life
The National Media Museum explained: 'The comparatively long exposure time has given the sea a glassy quality and the large aperture setting and narrow depth of field has put Durdle Door in the background into soft focus.'
The repetition of the red attire was due to the fact that the vibrant colour captured particularly well in an autochrome process.
Mervyn died in 1958, with his wife Florence passing 27 years beforehand in 1931. As to Christina's life, there are no recorded details.
Maybelle Morgan
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