Rediscovering Paul Outerbridge

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Paul Outerbridge was one of the few masters of the tri-carbro-color process, a technique used to produce highly saturated color prints. The process was laborious and each print could take up to 9 and a half hours to create.

By the time he moved to California in 1943, consumer color photography had advanced to a stage where he no longer had to rely on that technology, but his work still retained a rich, painterly aesthetic. Other commercial photographers who broke ground in the realm of color include Edward Steichen and Margaret Watkins.

Outerbridge’s devotion to color cost him dearly in the eyes of art critics and tastemakers. Now, two shows -- at the Central Library and the Getty Center -- help put his work in a fresh new light.

The fact that it’s taken nearly 28 years for Outerbridge’s work to return to the spotlight speaks to the virtual veil that has enshrouded his career for decades -- a combination of lingering critical neglect and East Coast cultural chauvinism.

David Ng takes a look at the rehabilitation of a fascinating career in photography, in Sunday’s Arts & Books section. And for more photos, click on the gallery below.