Kurt von Holleben (7 March 1894 – 14 January 1947) was a German chemist working for Agfa-Gevaert Technical-Scientific Laboratory as the head of the colour screen research group, overseeing development of Additive color screens (kornraster) for the Agfa-Farbenplatte glass plates (1916), and film based Agfacolor (1932) and Agfacolor Ultra (1934) ranges.
Early life Albert Julius Ludwig Kurt von Holleben was born in Berlin, the only child of Auguste Marie Elisabeth (Wrede) (13 September 1868 – 7 October 1951) and Captain Curt Emil Ludwig von Holleben (5 April 1862 – 17 February 1910) of the Prussian Army . His maternal grandfather was (23 January 1822 – 28 December 1895) the wealthy banker, sugar beet and spirits producer who owned the Schloss Britz (Britz castle) in Berlin. His paternal grandfather (24 April 1835 – 1 January 1906) was a military historian, writer and Lieutenant General in the Prussian army.
When Holleben was born the family were living at 6 Alexander Ufer in Berlin, but later that year his father is listed as the owner of in Silesia (today Iłowa Palace in Poland). In 1898, Holleben's father was made an honorary Knight of the Order of Saint John by Prince Albert of Prussia. Members of the Knights Hospitaller make generous donations to charitable causes. By 1901 Schloss Halbau had been sold, and the family disappear from records until 1905 when the records show them living in a rented house in Wiesbaden and that Holleben's father has returned to his army duties.KREIS SPROTTAU in NIEDERSCHLESIEN, accessed 3 March 2024https://sbc.org.pl/Content/348549/ow-1898-209.pdf#page=2, accessed 3 March 2024
His early schooling was in Wiesbaden and following that, the grammar school in Dresden.Biographisches Lexikon der frühen Promovenden der TU Dresden (1900–1945), accessed 28 June 2020 His parents divorced in February 1909, with Kurt and his mother moving to a rented apartment in Dresden. Following the death of his father in 1910, his mother married Baron (Freiherr) Kurt von Brandenstein (18 August 1870 – 4 June 1939), an up-and-coming lawyer and financier who would go on to become a privy councilor to the Saxon Ministry of Finance.Biographical details for Kurt Friedrich August Freiherr von Brandenstein, accessed 28 June 2020
Holleben graduated at Easter of 1913 and then went to Heidelberg University to study law. He was a member of the .Berliner Adreßbuch der Alten Corpsstudenten des Kösener SC-Verbandes (Public Domain) Issue15.1928, accessed 15 September 2023
Military service 1914 - 1918 On the outbreak of war Holleben left his law studies in order to volunteer for service with the army. He tried enlisting in various regiments but they all turned him down on medical grounds.Das von Hollebensche Geschlecht im Weltkriege 1914-1918 Im Auftrag der Familie zusammengestellt 1928 vom Archivar Albert von Holleben
He was however, accepted into the Imperial Volunteer Automobile Corps. These were normally civilians under contract, who in times of war would, with their private automobiles, form a transport unit for the staff officers. The owner/driver wore the corps uniform with Lieutenant rank epaulets; they were teamed with a mechanic who would wear a Sergeant's uniform.
He was assigned as a driver to officers of the General Staff (presumably in Berlin). At the beginning of 1915, he was reassigned to the Headquarters of the 39th Bavarian Reserve Division (39. Kgl. Bayerische Reserve-Division) which was engaged in the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes. It was here that he demonstrated considerable skill in driving on unmade roads in conditions of ice and snow. He remained with the regiment whilst it was involved in the offensive to drive the Russian army out of Lithuania.
Holleben was still anxious to be on active service, and since he was still technically a civilian, he was released from the Automobile Corps in early 1916. He reported to the Pilot Replacement Department (Fliegerersatzabteilung) in Großenhain but failed the medical due to poor eyesight. In April 1916, he was accepted into the Saxon Army 1st Field Artillery Regiment No. 12. Holleben was in training until October 1916 when, with the rank of gunner, he joined his regiment which was then fighting in the Battle of the Somme.
Initially he was deployed as a runner taking messages between the local headquarters, the gun emplacements and the infantry regiments they were providing artillery cover for. At Christmas 1916, he was promoted to Corporal (Unteroffizier), and two months later to 2nd Sergeant (Vizewachtmeiste).
In March 1917, the movement back to the Siegfried Line began. In April, the regiment took part in the Second Battle of the Aisne at which time Holleben’s primary duties were as an artillery observer and liaising with the infantry.
In December 1917, he received his promotion to Lieutenant of the Reserve (Leutnant d. R). In March 1918 he is listed as a Lieutenant with Battery No. 7, and in July 1918 as Ordnance Officer on the Regimental staff.Outline of the history of the 1st Field Artillery Regiment No. 12, accessed 28 June 2020
He was demobilized to the army reserve in January 1919.
Awards 1914-1918 Iron Cross 2nd Class, Iron Cross 1st Class., Friedrich-August Cross (class unknown), Albert Order 2nd Class (grade unknown).Fragebogen - HHStAW_520--27_nr_18494
University education Following demobilization, he resumed his studies, though this time it was to study chemistry at Royal Saxon Technical College on Bismarkplatz in Dresden (the building was destroyed by an American bombing raid in 1945); now the Dresden University of Technology. Holleben achieved good marks for his preliminary examination in October 1920.
One of the lecturers was (2 January 1868 – 17 April 1945) who had gained worldwide recognition for his lectures on the chemistry of photography and was someone with many contacts within the photographic industry; in 1909 the American photographer Imogen Cunningham came to Dresden to study under him.
Luther was the supervisor for Holleben's dissertation on "Drying of Gelatine" (Die Trocknung der Gelantine) for which he was awarded his Diplom-Ingenieur (Dipl.-Ing) in July 1922.
Holleben's doctorate referees were Luther and (17 July 1870 – 27 April 1945) known for his work on colloid chemistry (the science behind the Agfacolour colour screen). His thesis was "On the induced oxidation of dyes" (Ueber die induzierte Oxydation von Farbstoffen) for which he was awarded his certificate 16 July 1924.
Agfacolor development Agfa had manufactured colour photographic glass plates since 1916; unlike the rival Autochrome process (which was launched in 1907) which used grains of potato starch, dyed in the three primary colours, to form the colour screen (or reseau), Agfa used an emulsion in which were suspended particles of resin dyed in primary colours (Kornraster). Agfa had acquired the patent for this process in 1910 from the Danish patent holder J. H. Christensen.
He joined Agfa at their Berlin-Treptow site on 1 May 1925,Kurt von Holleben personnel file, Wolfen Museum of Industry and Film, Bunsenstrasse 4, D 06766 Wolfen or 06766 Wolfen, Germany and by 1926 he was head of the colour screen research group, overseeing development and production of Agfa-Farbenplatte colour glass plates. Following problems with the colour rendering of both green and blue, he changed the production to use alternative dyes and recommended using a Rapid Filter Yellow filter instead of a Tartrazine Yellow filter to improve blue rendition. Christensen continued the work begun by Holleben and in 1927 he proposed a new formulation and a switch from basic dyes to acidic dyes.Die Filmfabrik Wolfen Aus der Geschichte, Heft 2, Die Pioniere des Wolfener Farbfilms
In 1928, plans were being drawn up to move the photographic production from Berlin-Treptow to its facility at Wolfen. Holleben was instrumental in the move; in 1930 he decided which buildings at Wolfen could be converted for production; in 1932 he was involved in discussions on how the move could be achieved without stopping production at Berlin-Treptow whilst still providing a continuous supply to customers. Holleben and the senior staff moved to Wolfen that month and were structurally integrated into the technical laboratories, and therefore subordinated to Dr. Wilmanns (the head of the Technical-Scientific Laboratory in Wolfen).
In Wolfen, development continued on improving the colour screen sensitivity and shrinking the grain size to allow the development of the next generation of products. Agfacolor, an additive colour film on a nitrocellulose film base producing a positive image was released in 1932, and in 1934 they released Agfacolor Ultra a faster film version of its predecessor, also on a nitrocellulose film base, which was later changed to a safer acetyl cellulose film base.
In 1936, colour screens were made redundant when Agfa developed the ground-breaking Agfacolor Neu process. This was a multi-layer colour reversal film with the colour couplers incorporated into three separate emulsion layers coated onto a single 'support' that could be processed in a single colour developer (it was a rival to the Kodachrome reversal film released in 1935). As a result, work on the work on raster screen plates and films reduced; he therefore also worked in the X-ray film factory.
Holleben was part of the research team trialing the new film at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 Winter Olympics, where he photographed much of the eventDas alte Berlin in Farbe, Wartberg Verlag, 2019 pages 4, 43, 78 & 81Führerauftrag Monumentalmalerei: Eine Fotokampagne 1943-1945, Böhlau, 2006, page 50 (though the film was not yet fast enough to capture live action).
As the dominance of the multi-layer colour film increased, he was by 1939 working in the test centre, and no longer involved in research.
Patents Professor Luther and Holleben were jointly awarded a patent (396,485)Process for forming direct and reverse dye images, accessed 1 August 2020 on 8 May 1923 for a "Process for forming direct and reverse dye images". This work was relevant to the Gasparcolor process and was quoted by Dr Béla Gáspár in his 1934 American patent (1,985,344) for a "Method of producing multicolour photographs and cinematograph pictures".Patent method of producing multicolour photographs and cinematograph pictures, accessed 28 June 2020
Holleben was awarded German patent number 545,745Unexposed and undeveloped colored layers for photographic purposes, accessed 1 August 2020 on 4 March 1932 titled "Unexposed and undeveloped colored layers for photographic purposes".
Holleben and Dr (31 December 1900 – 2 August 1980) were awarded German patent number 2724Process for producing color images with sound track, accessed 1 August 2020 on 10 January 1936 titled "Process for producing color images with sound track".
Holleben, and a Wolfen colleague Wolf Rodenbacker, were awarded US patent number 2,086,930Cassette for photographic films, accessed 1 August 2020 on 13 July 1937 titled "Cassette for photographic films".
Holleben was awarded German patent number 762,767Photographic tone separation process, accessed 1 August 2020 on 9 July 1941 titled "Photographic tone separation process".
Membership of the Sturmabteilung (SA)