Family History
Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Amazing Full-Colour Photos From the Past

October 6, 2020

Artists across the internet are using technology to add color to old photographs. Check out our 10 favorite photos for a more intimate look at the past.

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“As kids, we didn't know why our parents made us walk together, it was only when we got to school that we saw the name-calling and the jokes, and realized that we were different and that we were going to have to learn to defend ourselves or just take it,” dasdas

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim videsigns webflow agency minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

When other schools played us, it was a shock, especially because there were black kids in the chess team. He told us that it was a middle-class game, but that we need to take our working-class values, and work hard, strive hard, and not be intimidated. We did it.The hostility wasn't obvious, but I would be stared at by the students and the teachers.You could tell that it was the first time that some of them had even shaken a Black boy's hand.

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The Evolution of Photography and Colorization

The earliest surviving photograph dates from 1826, and since then, photography has immeasurably changed our relationship to the past. Instead of just imagining what people looked like and how they dressed, photos made it possible to see things as they really were.

It took until 1935 for color film to take off; before that, viewers had to apply their imaginations to sepia- or gray-toned pictures. But if you’ve ever tried to do this, you know how hard it actually is to mentally project color onto a black-and-white photo. When you look at them, you tend to think the world back then was a dull, colorless place.

Peter Jackson meticulously colorised film footage from World War I in his latest documentary

That’s why the new trend of colorizing old photos is so arresting. It forces you to look at the past with new eyes — and the results are pretty amazing, thanks to obsessive digital artists taking hours to painstakingly "paint" old pictures in Photoshop.

Perhaps the best example of this work is Peter Jackson’s documentary "They Shall Not Grow Old," in which his team color-corrected and standardized hours of authentic film footage of World War I to stunning effect.

It’s not just professional filmmakers who are touching up the past. Artists and history buffs across the internet are getting into the act, too. Here are some of our favorite full-color historical photos.

The Genius

This photo showcasing Albert Einstein’s sense of humor is already quite famous, but seeing the genius in full color reminds us that he was a real person — not just an impossibly brilliant scientist. We bet he was a blast to hang out with!

The Rubberneckers

This photo of a car accident in Washington, D.C - before and after colorization - shows that some things never change. Even when cars were still new, taking your eyes off the road could lead to a disaster — and plenty of people would stop what they were doing to have a look.

The Showman

Big Jay McNeeley played a mean saxophone, and you can almost hear the crowd going wild in this photo. The color heightens the drama in a way that makes you feel like you could step right into this 1953 L.A. concert venue.

The Dust Bowl

Dorothea Lange’s famous photos of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the American Plains helped highlight the suffering of the era on a human level. Seeing her work brought to life in full color reminds us that these events happened to real people, in very real places.

The Starlet

So much of how people think of the Golden Age of Hollywood relies on black-and-white movies and stills. That’s why it’s such a refreshing change to see an icon in her full humanity. This photo of Marilyn Monroe captures her vulnerability as well as her star power.

The Inventor

The Immigrant

Photographers carefully documented the waves of immigrants coming to the United States through Ellis Island. Seeing these photos in color show the remarkable variety of clothing and cultures that made up the New York City melting pot of the early twentieth century.

The Train

It’s easy to forget that trains were once an integral means of transportation. This photo of a steam engine chugging through downtown Syracuse, New York in 1905 is a vivid reminder of the pre-automobile era.

The Dancers

Most photographs of women from the early twentieth century are carefully composed, formal affairs, with hardly a smile in sight. That’s why we love this relaxed group of dancers from the National American Ballet as they simply sit and enjoy each other’s company.

The Mechanic

What can we say about this? The attention to detail in the colorization is astonishing, with every glint of metal and hair on the worker’s arm working together to create a fully realistic color photograph. If this is the future of colorizing, we’re all in!

Preserving Your Own Photos

If these beautiful photographs have inspired you to take a closer look at your own family photos, MyHeritage offers an app that automatically colorizes your personal photos to breathe new life into your family history. The results are sure to amaze!

Whether you colorize your treasured photos or enjoy them the way they are, preserving a pictorial record of your ancestors is important for everyone. StoryTerrace allows you to add pages of vintage snapshots and portraits to your memoirs to bring your personal autobiography to life.

To find out more about how to write your own autobiography, get in touch to schedule a free consultation, or sign up for our newsletter for more inspiring articles about ways to preserve the past for future generations.

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“As kids, we didn't know why our parents made us walk together, it was only when we got to school that we saw the name-calling and the jokes, and realized that we were different and that we were going to have to learn to defend ourselves or just take it,” dasdas

Heading 5
Heading 6

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

When other schools played us, it was a shock, especially because there were black kids in the chess team. He told us that it was a middle-class game, but that we need to take our working-class values, and work hard, strive hard, and not be intimidated. We did it.The hostility wasn't obvious, but I would be stared at by the students and the teachers.You could tell that it was the first time that some of them had even shaken a Black boy's hand.

Ordered list

  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3

Unordered list

  • Item A
  • Item B
  • Item C

Text link

Bold text

Emphasis

Superscript

Subscript

The Evolution of Photography and Colorization

The earliest surviving photograph dates from 1826, and since then, photography has immeasurably changed our relationship to the past. Instead of just imagining what people looked like and how they dressed, photos made it possible to see things as they really were.

It took until 1935 for color film to take off; before that, viewers had to apply their imaginations to sepia- or gray-toned pictures. But if you’ve ever tried to do this, you know how hard it actually is to mentally project color onto a black-and-white photo. When you look at them, you tend to think the world back then was a dull, colorless place.

Peter Jackson meticulously colorised film footage from World War I in his latest documentary

That’s why the new trend of colorizing old photos is so arresting. It forces you to look at the past with new eyes — and the results are pretty amazing, thanks to obsessive digital artists taking hours to painstakingly "paint" old pictures in Photoshop.

Perhaps the best example of this work is Peter Jackson’s documentary "They Shall Not Grow Old," in which his team color-corrected and standardized hours of authentic film footage of World War I to stunning effect.

It’s not just professional filmmakers who are touching up the past. Artists and history buffs across the internet are getting into the act, too. Here are some of our favorite full-color historical photos.

The Genius

This photo showcasing Albert Einstein’s sense of humor is already quite famous, but seeing the genius in full color reminds us that he was a real person — not just an impossibly brilliant scientist. We bet he was a blast to hang out with!

The Rubberneckers

This photo of a car accident in Washington, D.C - before and after colorization - shows that some things never change. Even when cars were still new, taking your eyes off the road could lead to a disaster — and plenty of people would stop what they were doing to have a look.

The Showman

Big Jay McNeeley played a mean saxophone, and you can almost hear the crowd going wild in this photo. The color heightens the drama in a way that makes you feel like you could step right into this 1953 L.A. concert venue.

The Dust Bowl

Dorothea Lange’s famous photos of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the American Plains helped highlight the suffering of the era on a human level. Seeing her work brought to life in full color reminds us that these events happened to real people, in very real places.

The Starlet

So much of how people think of the Golden Age of Hollywood relies on black-and-white movies and stills. That’s why it’s such a refreshing change to see an icon in her full humanity. This photo of Marilyn Monroe captures her vulnerability as well as her star power.

The Inventor

The Immigrant

Photographers carefully documented the waves of immigrants coming to the United States through Ellis Island. Seeing these photos in color show the remarkable variety of clothing and cultures that made up the New York City melting pot of the early twentieth century.

The Train

It’s easy to forget that trains were once an integral means of transportation. This photo of a steam engine chugging through downtown Syracuse, New York in 1905 is a vivid reminder of the pre-automobile era.

The Dancers

Most photographs of women from the early twentieth century are carefully composed, formal affairs, with hardly a smile in sight. That’s why we love this relaxed group of dancers from the National American Ballet as they simply sit and enjoy each other’s company.

The Mechanic

What can we say about this? The attention to detail in the colorization is astonishing, with every glint of metal and hair on the worker’s arm working together to create a fully realistic color photograph. If this is the future of colorizing, we’re all in!

Preserving Your Own Photos

If these beautiful photographs have inspired you to take a closer look at your own family photos, MyHeritage offers an app that automatically colorizes your personal photos to breathe new life into your family history. The results are sure to amaze!

Whether you colorize your treasured photos or enjoy them the way they are, preserving a pictorial record of your ancestors is important for everyone. StoryTerrace allows you to add pages of vintage snapshots and portraits to your memoirs to bring your personal autobiography to life.

To find out more about how to write your own autobiography, get in touch to schedule a free consultation, or sign up for our newsletter for more inspiring articles about ways to preserve the past for future generations.

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