Roger Dumas was one of the principal cameramen who worked on the Archives de la Planète project. He joined the project in June 1920 and was initially based at Kahn’s house, at Boulogne on the outskirts of Paris. Here, he was the person primarily responsible for the autochrome photographic portraits of Kahn’s distinguished guests and those who had been awarded the Société Autour du Monde travel bursaries.
In spring 1926, he went on his first major mission abroad. This was to Japan, a country to which he became particularly attached, even learning the language.
En 1927, he was sent by Kahn to cover the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Kahn’s friend the Maharajah of Karthupala. He remained for several months travelling around India, mainly as a guest of other Maharajahs and Nawabs, but also visiting certain sites of great religious significance such as Varanasi and the Golden Temple at Amritsar. In 1985, the footage that he shot in India was edited and released by the Musée Albert-Kahn in the form of two films, Le Jubilé du Maharajah de Karputhala, and Bénarès, Indes.
In 1929, he went on a joint mission with Camille Sauvageot to Brittany where he both took photographs and shot film for the Archives.
Dumas was particularly interested in developing a colour film process and conducting various experiments on behalf of the Archives de la Planète based on the Keller-Dorian process, continuing with these after he left the service of the Archives in October 1931.
Dumas one of the few people present at the funeral of Albert Kahn in 1940.