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Some of the most iconic photos of our history in colour (imgur.com)

submitted ago by simon_wang12

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[–]omar_ohindeed 109 points110 points ago

Next, I'm going to colorize the moon.

[–]Apsis 131 points132 points ago

Done.

[–]aVictorianGentleman 16 points17 points ago

Whoa.

[–]OxidizedBovine 3 points4 points ago

Looks like glass that got shot.

load more comments (4 replies)

    [–]bobthecookie 79 points80 points ago

    It's 2012, can't we have a color picture of the moon?

    [–]josiahw 67 points68 points ago

    Space molecules remove all color from things.

    [–]Janake 37 points38 points ago

    /r/shittyaskscience

    [–]monnayage 13 points14 points ago

    /r/ExplainLikeImCalvin

    load more comments (1 reply)

      [–]godlessatheist 7 points8 points ago

      I want to go back in time and take HD pictures of everything.

      [–]ChuqTas 27 points28 points ago

      There's probably some other guy who wants to go back in time, take HD pictures using Instagram and make them look shitty again.

      load more comments (2 replies)

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          [–]The_IV 96 points97 points ago

          The artist name who does this is Sanna Dullaway. She is swedish, and also does it with private photos:)

          [–]mygrapefruit 247 points248 points ago

          This is me yes :D

          [–]The_IV 14 points15 points ago

          Hehe, you are doing some badass work there, respect for that:) I hope you do some more, like to see 'em :D

          [–]mygrapefruit 38 points39 points ago

          I'm extremely busy with commercial works that I'm not allowed to post online and a lot of private photos where the family don't want the photos out in public either. If I had the time for more historical photos, I would post them!

          Thanks again for giving me credit

          [–]FlippyWippy 3 points4 points ago

          Do you actually charge for this?

          [–]mygrapefruit 16 points17 points ago

          I do, I'm full-time employed by myself, running my own business! :)

          [–]Tailas 6 points7 points ago

          How did you know what color to make everything? Was it just common sense and good judgement in applying the colors, or is there a technical way to bring out the color from a black and white photograph? Total noob in this area, so my apologies if this has been answered before or is commonly known.

          [–]mygrapefruit 9 points10 points ago

          Don't worry.

          It's guesswork, and like you said, common sense and good judgement - in this case staying true to the era. Which can be very hard.

          [–]chubowu 3 points4 points ago

          Hehe try coloring Einstein's hair purple

          load more comments (1 reply)

            [–]The_IV 0 points1 point ago

            Too bad, but you should definitely post when you make another historical photo:)

            [–]CrassCraze 11 points12 points ago

            you're awesome! It's like rediscovering history again

            [–]mygrapefruit 25 points26 points ago

            Thank you so much!

            It's like rediscovering history again

            This is the only reason why I colourize and why others should colourize. Many people have err.. hated? on my colourizations saying I'm trying to replace the B&W photos, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's an addition (=the colour), not a replacement. The addition works for some people and they like what they see, and some don't. And that is fine. As long as it makes people more interested in history (one that's surprisingly close to the present), then mission accomplished!

            [–]NRGYGEEK 11 points12 points ago

            I love this because I have such a hard time visualizing the past in color; I guess, in my head, I think everything in the past was shades of grey? I don't know for sure, but it hadn't even occurred to me that Lincoln could wear a blue suit haha. Thanks for doing this; it made me very happy to see it!

            [–]mygrapefruit 12 points13 points ago

            It's the same for me and it's what first inspired me to try colourize a photo digitally. The burning monk photo was the first photo I colourized (and the first ever to appear on reddit I think?), since I thought the fire looked so dull in black and white. Fire is meant to look alive.

            load more comments (1 reply)

              [–]mjolk22 2 points3 points ago

              I remember your thread on flashback last year. I'm glad everything turned out so well :)

              [–]mygrapefruit 3 points4 points ago

              Hehe jaaa just det! heja Sverige :D

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                [–]rakantae 18 points19 points ago

                I think some of them were from reddit user mygrapefruit.

                [–]mygrapefruit 10 points11 points ago

                Wow, didn't know you could sort your own submissions based on popularity.. thanks for the overview on myself, interesting. :P

                load more comments (1 reply)

                  [–]Shitty_Watercolour 768 points769 points ago

                  http://imgur.com/a/Rkgtc

                  [–]mygrapefruit 273 points274 points ago

                  I'm the one who colourized the photos and even if I shouldn't take any kind of credit for them, I'm insanely proud that you drawed them! These particular photos mean a lot to me (hence why I colourized them). Keep being awesome, SW!

                  edit: Since people asked, here's the full size of the atom bomb photo (Operation Crossroads Baker)

                  [–]Shitty_Watercolour 260 points261 points ago

                  http://imgur.com/lJ4rw

                  [–]mygrapefruit 112 points113 points ago

                  !!!!!!!!

                  My life is now complete. Any way I can get that drawing sent to me? I'm willing to pay!

                  [–]schylarker 12 points13 points ago

                  I don't know what it is about your work, but its childish but mature at the same time. It really appeals to me, is this a certain technique or style or something?

                  [–]M4ltodextrin 38 points39 points ago

                  It reminds me of the work of Quentin Blake. He did the illustrations for a bunch of Roald Dahl books.

                  [–]Jonny1992 12 points13 points ago

                  You got lucky. Reddit determined that this time you will be upvoted for mentioning Quentin Blake. Others have not had the same fate.

                  [–]AlisonCreates 3 points4 points ago

                  It's "I don't give a shit"

                  load more comments (1 reply)

                    [–]jlobes 33 points34 points ago

                    They were all great, until I got to the monk. That image blew me away. Truly amazing work.

                    [–]vegibowl 9 points10 points ago

                    Absolutely incredible. These photos really bring history alive. I am trying to walk out the door and I can't stop staring at them. You are so talented.

                    [–]Biggacheez 7 points8 points ago

                    How exactly do you color them? Does each vaguely distinct shade of grey mean a different color?

                    [–]mygrapefruit 11 points12 points ago

                    Nah, it's guesswork. Sometimes you can tell a certain piece of cloth is red rather than blue (same with yellow and green), or vice versa, since the saturation does not add up - it looks awkward and out of time (regarding era clothing etiquette).

                    [–]Biggacheez 5 points6 points ago

                    Huh..I had my doubts as to if a picture of something blue taken in black and white could be noticed or....fuck my wording you answered my question thank you and wonderful work!'

                    [–]zuzah 7 points8 points ago

                    You are my inspiration, and you were the reason I got as good at coloring as I am right now, and I just wanted to say thank you.

                    [–]cisforcereal 8 points9 points ago

                    Picture 6: Killer chicken walks off into sunset.

                    [–]ebon_hawk 2 points3 points ago

                    What made you deside to use the colors that you did

                    [–]mygrapefruit 4 points5 points ago

                    Guesswork & common sense (they didn't have neon green shirts in 1920 :P).

                    [–]ebon_hawk 3 points4 points ago

                    I think that the civil war dead should have sky blue pants I'm not sure if they were federal dead or Reba but sky blue pant would have been more real

                    [–]mygrapefruit 2 points3 points ago

                    Yeah it is supposed to be sky blue.

                    load more comments (2 replies)

                      [–]syllabic 3 points4 points ago

                      I'm guessing monk on fire was hardest to do. That flame looks really tough to get the coloring right.

                      [–]mygrapefruit 4 points5 points ago

                      Since it was my first photo I ever tried to colourize, it was indeed hard (it took a whole 4 hours, now I'm down to 1 hr per photo usually). :P

                      The fire was surprisingly easy. I used reference photos, and it was basically just a matter of imitating the behaviour/physique, if that makes sense.

                      [–]naffgorr 2 points3 points ago

                      Amazing! Just amazing =O

                      [–]johnny_ringo 2 points3 points ago

                      really fantastic stuff. I was wondering about the last shot of the ship- one side of the hull is black, the other is red?

                      [–]mygrapefruit 4 points5 points ago

                      It's an error on my part and I'm aware of it (like all other errors, the soldier's pants, orange tint, etc). However, I can't edit those photos once they're posted online out on the wild intraweb. :( If only there was some kind of image service where you could edit your files, like Google docs!

                      [–]Drunken_Economist 7 points8 points ago

                      drawed

                      [–]mygrapefruit 33 points34 points ago

                      Sorry, drewed.

                      ......wait

                      ENGLISH IS NOT MY NATIVE LANGUAGE OK!! D:

                      [–]cor315 9 points10 points ago

                      Just drew would work :)

                      [–]thedrew 14 points15 points ago

                      Fuck yeah!

                      load more comments (1 reply)

                        [–]freex3 2 points3 points ago

                        Swedish.

                        load more comments (5 replies)

                          [–]ox_raider 22 points23 points ago

                          Man, you're on fire today, SW.

                          [–]I_will_fix_this 33 points34 points ago

                          I think you're confusing him with the monk.

                          [–]cephalic666 9 points10 points ago

                          S_W strikes again!

                          [–]Phoequinox 6 points7 points ago

                          Anne Frank is looking like quite the scamp there.

                          Edit: . . .You guys do know what "scamp" means, right? I'm not insulting anyone.

                          [–]AquaNeito 3 points4 points ago

                          could i ask what watercolours do you use? also are the black lines with watercolours, ink or back pen?

                          load more comments (28 replies)

                            [–]Osiris32 50 points51 points ago

                            I hate to be the pedantic history nut, but the pants on the dead soldiers at Gettysburg are the wrong color. The Union soldiers almost universally wore light blue (with the exception of certain regiments that wore green or red) while the Confederate soldiers wore dark blue or grey.

                            [–]mygrapefruit 39 points40 points ago

                            I'm the colourizer. I always tried to stay true to history but sometimes you just miss out on details. The pants is one of them (the source I used said they were khaki colour). That (and the others) photo circulate the internet and I can hardly edit them right (like the orange tint everyone's complaining about). :( It sucks.

                            With my work I work simultaneously with my customer and I can continuously edit the final work until we are both happy. With OP's album on imgur, once it was posted it was posted - no room for improvements.

                            [–]Osiris32 12 points13 points ago

                            Hey, no worries, it's a semi-obscure bit of history. I mean, seriously, how many people know what color pants soldiers during the Civil War were? I'm just being pedantic. The photo itself (One of Mathew Brady's, I believe) is pretty haunting, but becomes more "real" when colored.

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                              [–][deleted] ago

                              [deleted]

                              [–]Osiris32 4 points5 points ago

                              *sigh*

                              Yes, the mostly wore grey or light blue. But sometimes they wore dark blue pants and grey jackets. Or green. Or black. Or whatever clothing they had from working on the farm. In fact, the Confederate army made do with a lot of cast-off uniforms or uniforms saved from service with the Union Army prior to secession. The Confederate Army, while having access to a lot of cotton, didn't have access to many mills or clothing manufacturers, those were all up north. The Confederate Army had to practice a lot of Reduce/Reuse/Recycle mentality, because they had a hard time getting a hold of new uniforms.

                              For instance, here's General James Longstreet, famous leader of the Confederate First Corps, resplendent in his blue uniform jacket. Here's General John Bell Hood leading troops during the charge of Gaine's Mill. Yes, most Confederate uniforms were grey/light blue. But that wasn't universal, just as dark blue wasn't universal for the Union Army.

                              [–]Irishinfernohead 9 points10 points ago

                              Can someone tell me what's the deal with the monk?

                              [–]purdycom 13 points14 points ago

                              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Quang_Duc

                              [–]MilkTheFrog 21 points22 points ago

                              To be honest, i preferred them in Black and White. But regardless, how did you colour them?

                              [–]mygrapefruit 19 points20 points ago

                              I'm the one who colourized these photos. Note the 'mygrapefruit' in the corner of the photos.

                              Color mode in photoshop. :) Easy peasy!

                              load more comments (4 replies)

                                [–]dermined 83 points84 points ago

                                Here's the problem: They all look like they've been colorized. They don't look like color photos. Unless that's the desired effect, I don't know why this is a good thing. I know trees are green, water is blue, and fire is orange. Also, people aren't that orange unless it's Facebook.

                                [–]NegativityProclivity 50 points51 points ago

                                i've never seen a colorized post on reddit where they do it right. seems like everybody does a color layer overlay when, in fact, you have to literally change the black& whites and 'paint' other tones into any gradients. like the dark tones in a shadow aren't going to be black or dark gray when the object is red. it'll be maroon, etc. you should key out (silhouette) every object and work on them separately. no one who posts to reddit does, i guess. plus, they like unnatural over-saturated colors. i assume simply because a well colorized B&W 'isn't impressive' if it looks real.

                                here's the first decent example i could find on google images. see how different it feels than a rushed overlay?

                                [–]lutheranian 30 points31 points ago

                                Not sure if you can answer this, but maybe someone who can will see it.

                                When colorizing a photo, is there a definitive way to determine what the color should be? That is, does every color have a corresponding unique grayscale? Or can different colors have the same gray color when unsaturated?

                                [–]dermined 21 points22 points ago

                                There's no way to precisely tell from a print. Some B&W stock favors certain colors (red, for example), so you could maybe guess colors based on how exposed they are. A red shirt might appear quite light, while a blue shirt at the same intensity may appear darker because the film isn't as sensitive to blues.

                                Anyway, that's where the artistry comes in. You have to know how light interacts with surfaces to accurately fill in the blanks. Clothes, cars, etc, all usually pretty easy. Getting some life back into flesh is a tougher task that this person didn't do well.

                                [–]throttlekitty 3 points4 points ago

                                I don't know much about these older cameras, but lens filters are common in modern B&W photography, which can change the tones dramatically. This has a big impact on what we might perceive the "color" in the tones.

                                [–]dermined 3 points4 points ago

                                Yeah I forgot to mention filters, but at least I mentioned red. Red gives us the nicest, brightest, cleanest skin tones. Also completely hides blemishes.

                                Either way, two sides, same coin :)

                                [–]halzen 1 point2 points ago

                                I'm not sure if there's a scientific or technical way to determine how to best match shades, but it could be done fairly well by eyeballing it.

                                load more comments (1 reply)

                                  [–]RepostThatShit 7 points8 points ago

                                  I always got the impression they were intentionally going for the technicolor look, because that's what we associate with old and colored.

                                  [–]ExtraNoise 2 points3 points ago

                                  I post to reddit quite a bit. Here are two of my recent colorizations, done for other redditors of their family:

                                  http://i.imgur.com/cA8UV.jpg

                                  http://i.imgur.com/2Vrib.jpg

                                  The problem is, when I post outside of /r/Colorization, I get a lot of shit from people about how the black and whites are better and that what I'm doing is childish and easy. I get a handful of upvotes and a handful of downvotes with vicious comments and it's basically not worth it.

                                  [–]bubbameister33 1 point2 points ago

                                  Could link the black and white as well?

                                  load more comments (1 reply)

                                    [–]Avohaj 6 points7 points ago

                                    I personally think those colorizations are amazing. I'm no professional at all so I don't know where to look for errors.

                                    Especially the portrait photos of Lincoln, Einstein and Frank beome so much more alive. They look much more like the actual people they were rather than historical figures.

                                    The bomb test looks amazing. I guess if you spend some time looking at the details, yes some objects in the water aren't colored but still the overall result is amazing, I think that's the one that most looks like an actual picture. But also the sailor kissing the woman photo could just as well be a pretty precise reenactment photographed today to me.

                                    [–]demalo 8 points9 points ago

                                    Five actually looks pretty close to an actual color photo (instead of colorized). Actually makes the thing look much more lifelike and even scarier.

                                    7 isn't bad either.

                                    [–]dermined 6 points7 points ago

                                    The nuke and the kiss? The nuke is quite nice, actually. In the kiss photo, my eyes are distracted by all the uniformly orange-y faces. The monk photo is fairly good too. Artist took the time to mix extra shades into the road surface and everything. The orange attire on the people to the right is rough, unfortunately. Contrast is too low for such a sunny day.

                                    EDIT: Also, in the kiss, the whites on the sailors and everyone else look flat. Almost gray. I would have used a very mild blue in the shadows on an overcast day like this.

                                    load more comments (1 reply)

                                      [–]hoopstick 3 points4 points ago

                                      I thought the Einstein one looked damn near perfect. The skin tone is great.

                                      [–]decoy90 8 points9 points ago

                                      You serious? I thought they found a way to print old photos in color. Like, color was captured, but couldn't be printed back then lol. Looking VERY real to me.

                                      [–]dermined 4 points5 points ago

                                      That is actually a thing. Some old film stock did capture enough information that we can use today to make color prints with. That's not what's happening here though. This is somebody panting a tint over a black and white photo.

                                      [–]konekoanni 2 points3 points ago

                                      The only ones that look colorized to me are the Abraham Lincoln one and the ship one. The rest look pretty damn realistic to me, albeit older. They look like photos from the 70's or 80's, not like a digital photo from today, and that's fine.

                                      load more comments (3 replies)

                                        [–]RedEnder 5 points6 points ago

                                        Did everyone in the past wear a blue sweater or blazer?

                                        [–]your21girl 14 points15 points ago

                                        more please!

                                        [–]jgiampaolo70 4 points5 points ago

                                        Nice, but the photos lose a lot of....umph. You are crazy good though.

                                        [–]Ruzihm 7 points8 points ago

                                        OP didn't do the recoloring.

                                        [–]Y2JisRAW 2 points3 points ago

                                        Is it bad that I've never seen most of these pictures? Are there more "iconic photos of our history" which I have never seen before?

                                        [–]Penguin_Dreams 1 point2 points ago

                                        Yes, it's bad. It's very bad. Embarrassingly bad, really.

                                        But now you've seen them so you can't say that anymore.

                                        load more comments (1 reply)

                                          [–]jawillde 2 points3 points ago

                                          The blue car really bothers me. It appears too light in the black and white photo to be that shade. Maybe a pale yellow would be closer.

                                          [–]ThatOneGuyFromCali 6 points7 points ago

                                          It was actually light blue.

                                          See this link

                                          **EDIT: HERE'S A BETTER PICTURE

                                          [–]musictomyomelette 0 points1 point ago

                                          I like the Marine kissing a girl in BW rather than color. The rest are great!

                                          [–]dharris 2 points3 points ago

                                          The portrait of Einstein is by Yousuf Karsh (original in the Met Museum). Google for more, or better yet, find an exhibit where you can see original prints.

                                          He was a master of light and black & white photography.

                                          I appreciate your skill, but don't mess with Karsh.

                                          [–]heymrk 1 point2 points ago

                                          Nice try, Ted Turner.

                                          [–]GreatWillHunting 3 points4 points ago

                                          The color really brought some of the photos to life. For most is made them hit much more close to home, especially the nuke.

                                          [–]AfterDinnerOmelet 3 points4 points ago

                                          Great job, but I could've done without the burning monk in color. That one always bothers me.

                                          [–]StewieBanana 28 points29 points ago

                                          People love to joke about not giving a fuck, but then when somebody actually has no fucks to give, everyone's "bothered."

                                          [–]ArsenicAcid 19 points20 points ago

                                          No shit, that Monk was a boss. In comparison to whining and crying in front of buildings, this guy was like "fuck you, here's a political statement".

                                          [–]Mr0range 1 point2 points ago

                                          I find that statement incredibly insulting. Those people changed history and you minimized their efforts to "whining and crying in front of buildings." Effective activism is not limited to self-immolation.

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                                              [–]mygrapefruit 3 points4 points ago

                                              That was my first photo I colourized ever, and the old version is the only one posted online. I'm not too happy with it. Too flat and orange. :/

                                              [–]adorabull 1 point2 points ago

                                              I really like the first two. Great job.

                                              [–]ILL_Show_Myself_Out 1 point2 points ago

                                              You shoulda seen it In Color.

                                              [–]honestchippy 0 points1 point ago

                                              Every time I see the monk on fire I think of RATM.

                                              Also, when I was younger, I thought that the album cover was a guy being hit by a mass of rushing water. I was shocked when I found out the true story.

                                              [–]sirlyall 1 point2 points ago

                                              Now do Citizen Kane!

                                              [–]Rutmeister 0 points1 point ago

                                              Why so much blue?

                                              [–]life_failure 1 point2 points ago

                                              Why does the mushroom cloud have a door in it?

                                              [–]LetsPlayK 1 point2 points ago

                                              How do you get colour in a black and white picture? I heard it once but I dont remember how it is done.

                                              [–]Stackman93 1 point2 points ago

                                              pretty sure the pillar of light in the mushroom cloud wouldn't be grey

                                              [–]TheMightyDane 0 points1 point ago

                                              What happened to the boats/ships just near island with the nuclear explosion? Why were they there?

                                              [–]milamber_ 0 points1 point ago

                                              How did they do this?

                                              [–]randomly-generated 0 points1 point ago

                                              Pretty sure these were done by another redditor months ago.

                                              [–]_ducksauce_ 0 points1 point ago

                                              these are really excellent.

                                              [–]urmombaconsmynarwhal -1 points0 points ago

                                              forgive me because i dont know shit, but isnt this relatively easy? a specific shade of gray would translate directly to a color more or less, doesnt it? someone inform me and set me straight

                                              [–]5HAK 0 points1 point ago

                                              What event is that explosion?

                                              [–]pythor 2 points3 points ago

                                              Bikini Atoll nuclear test

                                              [–]clusterfuck7 -1 points0 points ago

                                              can you give me the picture of the monk in color separate from the black and white?

                                              [–]josiahw 0 points1 point ago

                                              Question: how do you know what color to choose? How do you know what was the color of Lincoln's bowtie?

                                              [–]redditisasillyplace -1 points0 points ago

                                              You just used an Instagram filter didn't you....

                                              [–]Vinc3ntPh4m 0 points1 point ago

                                              What photo is number 4?

                                              [–]explicitbaron -1 points0 points ago

                                              this is why reddit was created. Any attempting to do a picture of D-Day or a WWII album?

                                              [–]ryanoh 1 point2 points ago

                                              This is going to make me sound incredibly dumb, but I've always imaged that in that photo Lincoln was wearing black and white clothes.

                                              [–]ReallyBadAtScience 1 point2 points ago

                                              One time, at work in a "fun" chat we had set up, I posted the picture of Lincoln and said "A colored photo of Lincoln." A woman got offended and left; I couldn't figure out why. She didn't even look at the picture, and thought that I was saying the photo was of Lincoln made to look African American.

                                              Turns out someone posted the picture of Obama and Bush photoshopped into one person and said it was a "White Obama" right before I posted my picture. It didn't, and looked like a racist asshole in front of everyone.

                                              [–]LeonardTimber 0 points1 point ago

                                              Question: what is pic 5 from?

                                              [–]gclaws 0 points1 point ago

                                              It's the King of Mars! In color!

                                              [–]no0 0 points1 point ago

                                              I want the pic of Einstein wearing his fuzzy slippers in color.

                                              [–]terrible_at_history 0 points1 point ago

                                              Really makes me wonder why these pictures weren't taken in color originally!

                                              [–]SitOnMyFace32 0 points1 point ago

                                              Pretty sure the Antietam one was instagrammed.

                                              [–]Natten 0 points1 point ago

                                              Lincoln looks like a 2 dollar bill hussie, but sure has a pretty mouth.

                                              [–]mini-you 0 points1 point ago

                                              As someone who's attempted to colorize b/w photos, whoever did the Einstein and the WW2 Kiss did an amazing job! It's really hard to get that flesh tone to look right.

                                              [–]no_som_res 0 points1 point ago

                                              Can somebody tell me what the fourth picture is

                                              [–]wgbdvs 0 points1 point ago

                                              pretty sure the colorized monk picture already exists, as in there is color video of it.

                                              [–]s4gres 1 point2 points ago

                                              No way the sky would be that bright during a nuclear explosion. Since the explosion itself is so bright, the rest of the sky would look like night.

                                              [–]Anticlimax1471 0 points1 point ago

                                              I love this because you said "our" and it's not solely American icons.

                                              [–]coolbreess 0 points1 point ago

                                              Can someone explain to me how this is done? Are these accurate colors or just really good guesses?

                                              [–]mockereo 0 points1 point ago

                                              For me, there were only 2 that took on a different feeling. The nuclear bomb looks way more absurd and far less menacing, and the monk burning himself alive looks far more frightening than in b/w.

                                              [–]xabsolutejackx 0 points1 point ago

                                              It's funny, Abraham Lincoln is always depicted as wearing black and white. I never thought that he wore any other colors until now..

                                              [–]MadMonk67 0 points1 point ago

                                              Outstanding job, great choice of colors.

                                              [–]uox 0 points1 point ago

                                              There is no way that is a blue suit.

                                              [–]thefunnyguy707 1 point2 points ago

                                              Anyone else notice that the gasoline jug by the monk is untouched?

                                              [–]eddswift 0 points1 point ago

                                              Scientists don't actually know Abraham Lincoln was that color. All we can do is make educated guesses.

                                              [–]NOTjak -1 points0 points ago

                                              I usually see a lot of stuff on Tumblr stolen from Reddit. This is the first reverse I've seen yet!

                                              [–]19115162093 0 points1 point ago

                                              The 4th one is a photograph by Timothy O'Sullivan, it's called Harvest of Death

                                              [–]allisondojean 0 points1 point ago

                                              Can I ask a really dumb question? When you colorize a photo are there certain properties that tell you what color something most likely was, or is it just the colorer's disgression? I know NOTHING about how photoshop/computer graphics work so sorry if the answer is totally common sense!

                                              [–]nowarning1962 1 point2 points ago

                                              Seriously, why does everyone in these recolored pics have a nice tan?

                                              [–]GuitarGod6194 0 points1 point ago

                                              Did killing in the name automatically start playing in anyone else's head when the monk lighting himself on fire was shown?

                                              [–]SuprDuprSam 0 points1 point ago

                                              When I saw Lincoln I immediately thought of Kramer.

                                              [–]FourCounters 0 points1 point ago

                                              Who is that girl and reddit why does she have clothes on?

                                              [–]tinklybear 0 points1 point ago

                                              it's funny because they're all white

                                              [–]Kithsander 0 points1 point ago

                                              A few comments about the monk burning himself in protest.. But the one that really gets me is Anne Frank. Such youthful exuberance. Just a look that reminds those of us who have gone past that age what it was like to have such a zeal for life. The desperate longing of youth to see the world, to see what life is like. And we all know how that ended. :(

                                              [–]kosamae78 1 point2 points ago

                                              Am I the only one who imagines that all events between the mids 1800s and the mid 1900s took place in sort of a pastel colored, soft focus world?

                                              [–]DelayingAdulthood 1 point2 points ago

                                              The black and white images seem to capture more emotion from me.

                                              [–]finkalicious 0 points1 point ago

                                              Shouldn't any pic of Abe Lincoln have him killing vampires in it? I thought he was a vampire hunter...

                                              [–]Connor6 0 points1 point ago

                                              Very cool.

                                              [–]Hatesauce 0 points1 point ago

                                              wish there were more.

                                              [–]CAT_JESUS 0 points1 point ago

                                              The kissing in Manhattan picture looks better in black and white, IMO

                                              [–]MRxJZN -1 points0 points ago

                                              What sick bastard would do that to a monk?? Eugh.

                                              [–]cl3v3rus3rname 0 points1 point ago

                                              Lincoln had an enormous mouth.

                                              [–]zwordi 0 points1 point ago

                                              The Monk is just awesome. I love how he keeps a straight face. That's true self control.

                                              [–]cl3v3rus3rname 0 points1 point ago

                                              It's amazing how real everything becomes in color. Like, Abraham Lincoln and Anne Frank really existed. Now I feel awful for making Nazi jokes D:

                                              [–]ggjkgkjgh 0 points1 point ago

                                              The artist seems to have a thing for the colour blue.

                                              [–]compto35 0 points1 point ago

                                              Has someone done an article on the process of doing this? I wouldn't even know where to start…and how in the hell do you know what color values to use?

                                              [–]Yoshi511 0 points1 point ago

                                              These are really cool!

                                              [–]nitcanavan 0 points1 point ago

                                              Are we sure Lincoln wore brown and blue. Because that looks awful.

                                              [–]Nefarious_Lobster 0 points1 point ago

                                              DAE think Anne Frank was attractive?

                                              I just had to be that guy.

                                              [–]gadafgadaf 0 points1 point ago

                                              what is the pic #4 with the dead people on the field wearing the same stuff about?

                                              [–]nadehlaaay 0 points1 point ago

                                              Am I the only one who absolutely LOVES the V-J Day in Times Square Picture or? I thinks it's funny too how they didn't even know each other, but it's so amazing imo.

                                              [–]infiniteloop84 0 points1 point ago

                                              Anyone else read it as "most ironic"?

                                              [–]orangeinthewind 0 points1 point ago

                                              Amazing! How do you know the colour for the clothing? do you just have to guess?

                                              [–]sydnee_horsealot 0 points1 point ago

                                              Excellent job! These are incredible!

                                              [–]suresurex 0 points1 point ago

                                              I've been in the house of the sailor kissing his wife. I was actually dog sitting for him - not having a clue who he was until I saw his picture and he told me. His dog recently died and it was a sad day. It was his late wife's dog and her name was Pie. Nice old man.

                                              [–]eepruls 0 points1 point ago

                                              How do they know what color to make the clothes and whatnot?

                                              [–]keith_weaver 0 points1 point ago

                                              Wait......the world wasn't actually black and white back then? Mind = blown.

                                              [–]enlou 0 points1 point ago

                                              The color really brings them to life and makes me remember that they aren't just mythological, iconic figures. They were actually real people at some point.

                                              [–]morphinapg 0 points1 point ago

                                              This is extremely impressive colorization. I wish old black and white movies could get this quality of colorization instead of the crappier techniques they always used in the past. Then again, one photo is a lot different than hundreds of thousands.

                                              I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the B&W, just that it would be cool to see some of those movies in color

                                              [–]GnomishProtozoa 0 points1 point ago

                                              Very nice

                                              [–]Dirante 0 points1 point ago

                                              TIL Abe Lincoln was one ugly mofo.

                                              [–]barnesandnobles 1 point2 points ago

                                              Just for fun, here's what these pictures are:

                                              1) Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States.

                                              2) Albert Einstein, world renowned Physicist and widely cited as one of the smartest men in history.

                                              3) Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who was murdered during WWII and whose famous diary gives a glimpse into persecution and the holocaust.

                                              4) The Battle of Gettysburg

                                              5) Bikini Atoll, first detonation of a nuclear device after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

                                              6) Thích Quảng Đức, a Buddhist monk burns himself alive to protest the persecution of Buddhists by the government of then South Vietnam

                                              7) A sailor kisses a nurse in celebration of V-J Day, the day the Japanese surrendered and WWII was effectively over.

                                              8) ? Men stand at the base of the Titanic

                                              PS Feel free to add info or corrections if necessary

                                              [–]Schreber 0 points1 point ago

                                              Strangely they lose a certain "feeling" when you colorize them. It's like watching a classic black and white movie and then later watching the same thing colorized, it's just not the same.

                                              [–]addzhh 0 points1 point ago

                                              I think that putting these pictures in color makes them lose a little bit of their meaning. Is there anyone out there that agrees with me, or is it just me being hipster and annoying? :(

                                              [–]manbrasucks 0 points1 point ago

                                              If you do this they become one super awesome picture.

                                              More cross-eyed pictures.

                                              Holy shit the last one of the blimp is awesome cross-eyed.

                                              [–]nbshark 0 points1 point ago

                                              I'm really good at doing the opposite to photos. Yea', I'm that good at Photoshop. (⌐■_■)

                                              [–]benilla 0 points1 point ago

                                              Sanna Dullaway enjoys blue tops on men

                                              [–]Learning-Man 0 points1 point ago

                                              Wow, I wish I could have the bomb and Einstein pictures printed and hang them on my wall.

                                              [–]hig3zdude 0 points1 point ago

                                              I think the watermark ruined it.

                                              [–]gingertendencies 0 points1 point ago

                                              Weird to think that these people did not live in a world that was grey scale. They actually saw colours!

                                              [–]hitek9 0 points1 point ago

                                              whats the last pic of? titanic?

                                              [–]buck45osu 0 points1 point ago

                                              What ship is pictured? <edit> found out the titanic has 3 propellors so that is rulled out

                                              [–]OperatorMike 0 points1 point ago

                                              What is the context of the one with all the people taking a nap on the field?

                                              [–]douchymcface 0 points1 point ago

                                              The self-immolation photo is really well done.

                                              [–]Jackireland247 0 points1 point ago

                                              What is the 6th one?

                                              [–]Woodsy21 0 points1 point ago

                                              You just know the folks over at /r/historyporn are fapping themselves blind over this.

                                              [–]CaptainHez 0 points1 point ago

                                              Awesome! Great job.

                                              [–]Paratek 0 points1 point ago

                                              My problem with old colored photographs is that everyone is wearing blue. I rarely see pics like these with people wearing black or any other color. Blue suit, blue sweater, all bodies in blue shirts, more blue suits.

                                              [–]Krisapocus 0 points1 point ago

                                              Time travlin' Lincoln has a mechanical pencil.

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