Hand Colored Photograph by Ray Jerome Baker: African Tulip Tree

On display, a drooping cluster of rust-red flowers, with long pale pods poking out like spears.

This hand colored photograph is by African Tulip Tree, and dates to the mid 20th century. Hand colored photographs were made by applying transparent oils or dyes to a black and white print, a practice that was common before color film became widely available. Looking closer, a vertical image of crinkled, russet-orange blooms hanging in a cluster, with narrow pale green pods radiating above. Bright green leaflets fill the background behind a grey, softly blurred patch. The colors look tinted by hand. It is 5 inches wide and 7 high.

Scruffy and flamboyant, and quite happy to be noticed.