Colour palette of the time

Although the first colour photographs taken in Iceland, as far as we know, were taken in 1901, it wasn't until the mid-20th century that colour photography caught on. The black-and-white world that can be seen in pictures until that time is an illusion. Life was undoubtedly in colour, the clothes colourful, the cars turquoise, burgundy, even yellow, red or green roofs – the sky all kinds of blue! The colour palette of the time is ever-changing, shaped by fashion, technology, memories and zeitgeist, even by the medium itself. 

The exhibition includes new enlargements from original colour films and colour slides mixed with original copies. The photos belong to the museum's collection and are taken by Icelandic and foreign photographers. Among them are: Hermann Schlenker, Ingibjörg Ólafsdóttir, Helga Fietz, Sigurður Demetz Franzson, Hannes Pálsson, Adolf Karlsson and Böðvar Pétursson.