Traduction de Manuel M

The specificity of this detective camera is to have in front of his lens a rotary plate on which filters of three different colours are. The same view taken three times, with each time a different filter, could then be got printed in colours according to the principle of the three-colour process. On the plate, a position remains without filter in order to allow the take of view in black and white.  The number of plates in this detective camera is 12, but the number of possible views is function of the recourse to the colour or not, since a colour view requires the use of three plates.
This principle presents the major risk which the camera moves between the three exposures.
 

Louis Ernest Dugardin and the Société nationale de la photographie en couleurs

Louis Ernest Dugardin, a recognized artist whose name seems to have fallen into obscurity, specialized in oil portraits based on photography. As the director of his Society of Artistic Reproductions, with a capital of 200,000 Frs divided into 20,000 shares, it was founded on April 14, 1896, highlighting the significance of his business venture. He initially operated from Faubourg Saint-Honoré and later at 9 Boulevard Rochechouart in Paris, enjoying a considerable reputation. He was not only an artist but also a businessman and inventor.

In 1897, he established the Société nationale de la photographie en couleurs et de reproductions artistiques, incorporating his former company into this new entity. The profits earned (over 60,000 Frs in one year) were invested in various areas related to color photography because he believed in its future.

On June 20, 1898, he had various color photographs of masterpieces from the Louvre examined by the Academy of Sciences, which immediately gained press attention. It was revealed that Louis Dugardin had also designed an easily accessible camera capable of producing both color and black-and-white images. He could supply enthusiasts with plates, papers, and special products and even transform any camera into a trichrome camera. A true revolution!