>I was just wondering if anybody had ever attempted the Lippmann process, or
>interference-phenomenon based coulour photography...
French physicist Gabriel Lippmann (1845-1921) devised a system of color
photography in 1981 that relied on wavelength
interference rather than dyes or pigments. His panchromatic glass plate was
coated with an almost clear emulsion made
of very small silver halide crystals. In the camera, the plate faced away
from the lens, and the emulsion was in contact
with a nearly perfect mirror of liquid mercury. Light passed through the
glass plate and emulsion and was reflected by
the mercury. Phase difference caused the reflected rays to interfere with
the light coming through the plate.. Varying
degrees of cancellation and reinforcement ocurred, producing a latent image
of the interference pattern set up within
the emulsion. After development, the faint but natural color image was
viewed by placing the plate against a mirror and
shining a light through it. Examined at a carefully determined angle, only
the original wavelengths could pass through
the interference pattern. The process has proven to be too difficult for any
application beyond scientific investigation for
which it was originally conceived.
by H. Wallach in the Focal Encyclopedia of Photography
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