(color) Film used for US Presidential portraits?

[dmr]

In perusing the whitehouse.gov gallery of US Presidential photos (Presidents | The White House), all of the portraits from FDR to the present are in color. I realize that these may not be the "official" Presidential portraits, but they are formal photographic portraits or headshots.

I am wondering if anyone knows of any authoritative source on what media (type of color film, transition to digital, etc) were used for these shots? Or, if anyone cares to speculate or make educated guesses?

In looking at the photo of FDR, my guess is that it would be large-format Kodachrome, since that would have been the most mature and stable method in the early 1940s. Plus, to my eye at least, it looks like Kodachrome.

The photos of Nixon and Ford, particularly the red of the flags in the background, just SCREAM Kodachrome to me. I'm not so certain of the photos from Truman through Johnson, but I suspect they may have also been large-format Kodachrome.

I notice a distinctive break between Ford and Carter, particularly with the red in the flags.

The flag in the portrait of Reagan does not scream Kodachrome to me, but the facial tones do look, again, at least to me on this non-calibrated monitor, like the shot could be Kodachrome.

Bush 43 looks to me like it may have been shot on Kodachrome, particularly since it was still within the Kodachrome era.

I might speculate that those from Obama through Biden are digital.

Any insight? Further speculation? Educated guesses?

TIA! 🙂

 

[rover]

Off subject sorta but something that really impressed me this summer was a visit to the JFK Museum in Hyannis, MA. The photographs, particularly the intimate personal ones are amazing. While Jackie was a photographer and editor in the media, these are not her photos. All are professional, multi format captures learned from a conversation with the museum director.

Just a comment on presidential photography, but I do not know the answer to your question. I will have to go look at the portraits.

 

[x-ray]

I spent a week with Arnold Newman at a workshop in 1975. It’s my understanding he made many of the official portraits from Truman through Ford. He discussed what he shot and how he shot it. The majority of not all of his presidential portraits he shot were shot on 4x5 B&W using tungsten light. That’s not to say he didn’t expose some color film also.

Kodachrome was available in sheet sizes into the 50’s as I recall but it was extremely slow, ASA 10. I believe tungsten balanced, type A, film was available but can’t remember. Tungsten light would have been the norm at that time since strobes weren’t around for photographic use other than a limited selection of huge and dangerous units.

35mm wasn’t a serious photographic tool in the 40’s into the 60’s outside of photojournalism. In the professional portrait world it was dominated by 4x5 and larger. 8x10 was still common for upper end portraits.

I’ve not looked at the images recently but would imagine the images were originally shot on large format Ektachrome type B or daylight depending on the environment and dye transfer prints were made. Dye transfer was the preferred method for printing the best color prints and gave the best control, color rendition and longevity. Dye transfer prints were made from color transparencies by masking the transparency to control contrast, a set of RGB silver separation negatives made, a set of dye receiver matrix made then saturated with the dyes and transferred to a receiver base. It was A very complex and expensive process.

Dye transfer was the best method for color printing through the 70’s. Ciba professional color material may have started to be used by the 80’s but I’m not sure. In any case outside of dye transfer and Ciba color print longevity was pretty bad through the 70’s.

I’m guessing that all of the color images were at a minimum 4x5 Ektachrome and dye transfer prints up to Reagans portrait when C41 color neg came into existence and direct color print quality and longevity got better.

 

[x-ray]

Correction to my above post regarding dye transfer. The separations and matrix are cyan, magenta and yellow.

Here’s a good website on the process. DYE TRANSFER PRINTING - lightsongfineart

I worked with another photographer in 1973-74 that did due transfer and helped him produce several prints. Unfortunately materials are no longer available thanks to Kodak.