Background
Natalie Kalmus, the daughter of George Kayser Dunfee, was born on April 7, 1882 in Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
Natalie Kalmus, the daughter of George Kayser Dunfee, was born on April 7, 1882 in Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
Kalmus attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, the Boston School of Art, and the Curry School of Expressionism (also in Boston). Later she pursued her studies in art at the University of Zurich.
In 1902 Kalmus married Herbert T. Kalmus. In 1905, the couple went to Europe, primarily living in Berlin, Germany, and Zurich, Switzerland. In 1912 Herbert formed the Technicolor Company, which was incorporated as the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation in 1915. Natalie served on the governing board of the company. She became an indomitable aide to her husband, working as scriptwriter, searching for a good color film and makeup consultant to filmmakers, and the first woman color cinematographer. She was placed in charge of color control on all productions (sets, clothing, makeup, lighting, editing consultation). She traveled an average of 40, 000 miles a year to supervise camera setups and stage sets and to resolve contractural arrangements between the company and the studios. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with brilliant red hair, and her beauty and coloring made her an invaluable scientific model in the development of color motion pictures. She was often called the codeveloper of Technicolor because of her efforts on behalf of both production and promotion of color films.
The Kalmuses were divorced secretly in 1921 but their work made them inseparable. Natalie settled for $7, 500 yearly alimony and a position with the Technicolor company that brought her $24, 000 annually plus expenses. In the late 1940's Natalie Kalmus brought suit against her former husband, seeking half of his assets. She declared herself to be both business partner and sharer of his homes in Bel Air, California, and in Centerville, Massachusetts. She cited her work as director of color control and the fact that her name alone appeared on finished Technicolor films. Herbert Kalmus had allowed friends and associates to presume that they were still married, and Natalie declared that a large cash, alimony, and pension agreement signed in 1946 was evidence that they were still man and wife at that time. She also named as corespondents five Jane Does, but the court held that her 1921 divorce was irrefutable. She tried to have the divorce vacated, but was unsuccessful. Kalmus ended Natalie's association with the company in 1948. She received a pension of $11, 000 a year, moved to the East Coast and lived a quiet life.
On July 23, 1902, Natalie Mabelle Dunfee married Herbert Thomas Kalmus, the inventor.
