I have been following the blog, 50 Watts for years because of Will Schofield’s dedication to showcasing beautiful historical books, design and illustration from around the world. A visual journey, his blog is well worth the visit. Twice they have featured scans of nitrate film frame clippings selected by Joshua Yumibe from the Turconi Collection.
The first collection features dozens of movie stills in groups of two to three frames, many of which are tinted or hand colored. It's a true glimpse into the history of film.
Clip #06835: When the Devil Drives (Charles Urban, 1907): tinted
Clip #06032: L’écrin du rajah (di. Gaston Velle, Pathé Frères, 1908): stenciled or hand-colored
Clip #06026: L’écrin du rajah (di. Gaston Velle, Pathé Frères, 1908): stenciled
Clip #00888: Seemannsleben (original US title unidentified, Selig): tinted & faded
But I found the decomposing frames some of the most beautiful.
Clip #00762: Dämonit (Neue Film Gesellschaft, 1914): toned & decomposing
Clip #04599: Jeptha's Daughter (Vitagraph, 1909): toned & disintegrating
Clearly I wasn't the only one entranced with the degrading images, and a new collection of clips has been uploaded. Some have remnants of their original imagery...
Clip #23403: Unidentified (Gaumont)
Clip #18088: Barbe bleu (Pathé, 1907)
Clip #11147: La lampada della nonna (di. Luigi Maggi, Ambrosio, 1913)
...while others have morphed into colorful, organic swirls that look more like satellite maps or scientific slides.
Clip #23279: Le Chien du volontaire (Lux, 1909)
Clip #21726: Des Kindes bester Freund (unid.)
Clip #21277: Des Kindes bester Freund (unid.)
Clip #21907: La Mort de Mozart (di. Louis Feuillade, Gaumont, 1909)
This is just a fraction of the well selected images over at 50 Watts and the Turconi database is an invaluable resource.