April 23, 2014 at 1:27 pm

24 Historic Black and White Photos Colorized

by twistedsifter

 

One of the greatest components of reddit are the thriving subreddits, niche communities of people who share a passion for a specific topic. One of the Sifter’s personal favourites is r/ColorizedHistory (featured previously). The principal contributors are a mix of professional and amateur colorizers and restorers that bring historic photos to life through color. All of them are highly skilled digital artists that use a combination of historical reference material and a natural eye for colour.

When we see old photos in black and white, we sometimes forget that life back then was experienced in the same vibrant colours that surround us today. This gallery of talented artists helps us remember just that.

Below you will find a collection of some of the highest rated colorized images to date on r/ColorizedHistory.

 

 

 

1. Flippin’ Burgers
Crowley, Louisiana, USA – October 1928

historic black and white photos colorized (1)

Original Photograph by Russell Lee/LOC
Colorized by Jordan J. Lloyd/Dynamic Chrome
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (2)

Original Photograph by Russell Lee/LOC
Colorized by Jordan J. Lloyd/Dynamic Chrome
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

 

2. Women Delivering Ice, 1918

historic black and white photos colorized (3)

Colorized by Dana Keller/History in Color
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (4)

Original Photograph by War Department/National Archives

 

Girls deliver ice. Heavy work that formerly belonged to men only is being done by girls. The ice girls are delivering ice on a route and their work requires brawn as well as the partriotic ambition to help., 09/16/1918 [source]

 

3. Times Square, 1947

historic black and white photos colorized (7)

Original Photograph by William Gottlieb/LOC
Colorized by Jordan J. Lloyd/Dynamic Chrome
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (8)

Original Photograph by William Gottlieb/LOC
Colorized by Jordan J. Lloyd/Dynamic Chrome
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

 

4. Easter Eggs for Hitler, c 1944-1945

historic black and white photos colorized (9)

Colorized by Zuzzah/Colorizedhistory
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (10)

Original Photograph by US Army/National Archives

 

 

5. Mug shot of William Stanley Moore, 1 May 1925
Central Police Station, Sydney.

historic black and white photos colorized (5)

Colorized by Dana Keller/History in Color
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (6)

 

Special Photograph no. 1399. this picture appears in the Photo Supplement to the NSW Police Gazette, 28 July, 1926 captioned: ‘Opium dealer./ Operates with large quantities of faked opium and cocaine./ A wharf labourer; associates with water front thieves and drug traders.’ [source]

 

6. Painting WWII Propaganda Posters
Port Washington, New York – 8 July 1942

historic black and white photos colorized (11)

Colorized by Patty Allison/Imbued with Hues
Website | Facebook

 

historic black and white photos colorized (12)

Original Photograph by Marty Zimmerman/AP Photo

 

The art assembly line of female students busily engaged in copying World War II propaganda posters in Port Washington, New York, on July 8, 1942. The master poster is hanging in the background. [source]

 

7. Two survivors of the Battle of Gettysburg
at the 50th anniversary reunion, July 1913

historic black and white photos colorized (13)

Original Photograph by Library of Congress
Colorized by Photo Retrofit
Facebook | Twitter | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (14)

Original Photograph by Library of Congress
Colorized by Photo Retrofit
Facebook | Twitter | Prints

 

 

8. Titanic sinks April 15, 1912. Newspaper boy Ned Parfett
sells copies of the evening paper bearing news of the disaster. (April 16, 1912)

historic black and white photos colorized (15)

Colorized by Dana Keller/History in Color
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (16)

Original Photograph by Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS

 

 

9. “The Red Baron”, Manfred von Richthofen – ca 1917

historic black and white photos colorized (17)

Colorized by Dana Keller/History in Color
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (18)

Original Photograph by C. J. von Dühren

 

 

10. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge ca 1935

historic black and white photos colorized (19)

Colorized by Dana Keller/History in Color
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (20)

 

 

11. Marilyn Monroe, 1957

historic black and white photos colorized (21)

Colorized by Zuzzah/Colorizedhistory
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (22)

Original Photograph by Richard Avedon/MoMA

 

 

12. Cab stand in Madison Square Park, New York – ca 1900

historic black and white photos colorized (23)

Colorized by Sanna Dullaway/Past in Color
Website | Facebook | deviantART | Prints

 

 

13. Louis Armstrong practicing in his dressing room, ca 1946

historic black and white photos colorized (24)

Colorized by Dana Keller/History in Color
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (25)

Original Photograph by William Gottlieb/LOC

 

 

14. Portrait Used to Design the Penny. President Lincoln Meets General McClellan – Antietam, Maryland ca September 1862

historic black and white photos colorized (26)

Colorized by Zuzzah/Colorizedhistory
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (28)

Original Photograph by Alexander Gardner/LOC

 

historic black and white photos colorized (27)

 

 

15. Theodore Roosevelt in his Rough Rider uniform, ca 1898

historic black and white photos colorized (29)

Original Photograph by Rockwood/MHS
Colorized by Zuzzah/Colorizedhistory
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

 

16. Babe Ruth the Year He Joined the New York Yankees, 1920

historic black and white photos colorized (30)

Colorized by Dana Keller/History in Color
Website | Facebook | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (31)

 

 

17. Norman Rockwell Entering his Stockbridge Studio
Massachusetts, 1966

historic black and white photos colorized (32)

Colorized by Laiz Kuczynski
Website | reddit

 

historic black and white photos colorized (33)

Original Photograph by Louie Lamone

 

 

18. “The Tall Cowboy”, Ralph E. Madsen with Senator Morris Sheppard, 1919

historic black and white photos colorized (34)

Colorized by Photo Retrofit
Facebook | Twitter | Prints

 

historic black and white photos colorized (35)

Original Photograph by Harris & Ewing/LOC

 

 

19. Sergeant George Camblair practicing with a gas mask in a smokescreen – Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 1942

historic black and white photos colorized (43)

Colorized by Ryan Urban
Website | Facebook

 

historic black and white photos colorized (44)

 

 

20. Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech – 4 July 1939

historic black and white photos colorized (41)

 

historic black and white photos colorized (42)

Original Photograph by Murray Becker/Associated Press

 

 

21. Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father and the only surviving member of the Frank family revisiting the attic they spent the war in, 3 May 1960

historic-black-and-white-photos-colorized-(46)

Colorized by Laiz Kuczynski
Website | reddit

 

historic-black-and-white-photos-colorized-(45)

Original Photograph by Arnold Newman

 

 

22. Young Woman with Umbrella – Louisiana, 1937

historic black and white photos colorized (40)

Colorized by Manuel De Leonardo

 

historic-black-and-white-photos-colorized-(49)

Original Photograph by Dorothea Lange/LOC

 

 

23. Broadway at the United States Hotel
Saratoga Springs, N.Y. ca 1900-1915

historic black and white photos colorized (39)

Colorized by Sanna Dullaway/Past in Color
Website | Facebook | deviantART | Prints

 

historic-black-and-white-photos-colorized-(50)

Original Photograph by Detroit Publishing Co./LOC

 

 

24. Ruth Malcomson, Miss America 1924

historic black and white photos colorized (38)

Original Photograph by Bettman/Corbis
Colorized by malakon on reddit

 

 

 

 

 

 

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