Saturday, September 26, 2020

25 Colorized Photos That Give History a Fresh Perspective - Part 1

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The following pics and text are from an article I came across.  

I have retained the American spelling.

Hopefully you will find it as fascinating as I did.


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Some historical photos shed a light on a historical figure, while others focus on a historical event. But what if we had the chance to see these images with color? 
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Queen Victoria With Her Family, 1894 


This colorized photo shows Queen Victoria and King Edward VII having a family photo with their children and relatives at a wedding which took place in Coburg, Germany in 1894. This photo is a rare example of the European royal family happily coexisting before World War I broke out. “The whole of our large family party was photographed by English, as well as German photographers,” Victoria wrote in her journal. “Many groups were taken, & some of me with Vicky & my three sons, & William.” 
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Albert Einstein, 1921 


The impact that Albert Einstein has had on physics and the way we think, in general, is unquestionable. The German-born physicist moved to the US to flee the extreme racism he faced and during the last two decades of his life, he lived in Princeton, New Jersey. This colorized photo was taken during his time there and he famously compared Princeton to Pasadena, California. One of the most intelligent people of the 20th century, Einstein worked at the Institute of Advanced Study before his death in 1955. 
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Alfred Hitchcock, 1960s 


They didn’t call him the master of suspense for nothing. Sir Alfred Hitchcock is, without a doubt, one of the most important figures in the history of filmmaking, having created masterpieces such as Psycho, Vertigo and The Birds. Seeing that his career spanned over six decades, Hitchcock saw the evolution of cinema before his very eyes and made films both in black and white and in color. Ironically, this photo was originally black and white and has since been colorized. 
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Wilbur Wright piloting a glider, 1902 


There is no denying that Orville and Wilbur Wright revolutionized the way we live. This photo shows the latter piloting a glider in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1902. It’s amazing to think that just a year after this photo was taken, the Wright brothers would go on to invent the world’s first airplane – The Wright Flyer. Traveling would never be the same again and today, the world has never felt smaller, largely due to the internet but also due to planes. 
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Female Samurai, 1880 


It might come as a surprise, but there was a time when female samurais did exist in Japanese culture. Referred to as the Onna-Bugeisha, these fearless women were taken just as seriously as their male equivalents. During the late 1860s, a massive conflict began between some of the clans of northern Japan. Famous female warrior Nakano Takeko encouraged fellow female samurais to fight with her on the front line and ended up leading between 20 and 30 women in battle. 
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Building the Statue of Liberty, 1881 


Back in the 1800s, French Anti-Slavery Society president Édouard René de Laboulaye developed the idea of building the Statue of Liberty in memory of the independence of the United States of America. Although we know that construction was eventually successful, it turns out that it took a number of decades to finish the stunning statue. It takes inspiration from both Libertas, the goddess of freedom, and Columbia, the personification of America. It was transported to the US upon completion. 
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The Beatles, 1960 


This colorized photo of The Beatles came when the iconic rock band still had five members. They were performing in Hamburg, Germany because they weren’t getting much success in their home city of Liverpool, which was at the time, an industrialized city. Eventually, John Lennon and co. made the tough decision of dropping their drummer, Pete Best. After they auditioned at EMI Studios in London, the band was advised to drop Pete and despite their apprehension, they went on to be the most successful band of all time. 
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Walt Disney Presenting a Map of Disneyland, 1955 


Let’s face it – Hollywood would look completely different today if Walt Disney wasn’t around. His movies have inspired many generations and long after his passing, his company has become the gargantuan power in the film industry, acquiring huge properties such as Star Wars and Marvel. This colorized photo was taken back in 1955 when Disney was planning his very first theme park – Disneyland. He envisioned a safe place where families could enjoy themselves with no outside disturbances. 
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Construction of the Hoover Dam, 1935 


It’s amazing to think about how much concrete was used and how many lives were lost to construct the Hoover Dam. Bordering Arizona and Nevada, the dam was originally called the Boulder Dam and was built in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, it was later agreed that the dam would be renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover. Many workers had relocated to this area during the Great Depression, hoping to have a better quality of life. 
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Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, 1934 


One of the most iconic structures in the US is, without a shadow of a doubt, the Golden Gate Bridge. Built to connect San Francisco with Marin County, builders started constructing this beautiful bridge back in 1933 and was unveiled to the public four years later. Before its construction, many believed that it was impossible to build the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite worries that it could cost over $100 million, Joseph Baermann Strauss was determined to get the job done. 
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Mechanic Fixing a Steam Pump, 1920 


One of the most impressive efforts to put together a number of colorized historical photos is The Paper Time Machine. Together with Dynamichrome’s Jordan Lloyd and Retronaut’s Wolfgang Wild, this collaborative effort resulted in a book full of incredible images, including this one. The photo in question is of a mechanic who was fixing a steam pump during the 1920s. Had The Paper Time Machine never happened, people might never have been able to fully appreciate this picture. 
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Dr. John Archibald Purves & the Dynasphere, 1932 


While the Dynasphere did not exactly reinvent the wheel, it was still a fascinating invention, to say the least. Dr. John Archibald Purves took inspiration from a sketch made by Leonardo da Vinci and quite literally, rolled with it. He patented the monowheel car in 1930, while also designing electrical and gasoline-powered editions. A common misconception about this colorized photo is that Purves himself is riding the Dynasphere. It’s actually his son who is using it in this test run. 
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Walt Whitman, 1868 


Certainly one of the most important poets in American history is the one and only, Walt Whitman. Bridging the gap between transcendentalism and realism, Whitman is often referred to as the father of free verse. A controversial figure in his heyday, Whitman’s collection Leaves of Grass was considered to be obscene when it was released but is nowadays one of the most revered collections of poetry of the last 200 years. Whitman tried to reach out to the common man through his work.

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1 comment:

  1. The person on the far right of the Beatles photo wearing the glasses is original bass player Stu Sutcliffe, who left the band in mid-1961, with Paul McCartney becoming the new bass player.

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