These Historical Photos Were Digitally Colorized, And The Results Are Stunning
June 6, 2024
Lizabeth Virginia Scott, known for her smoky voice and being "the most beautiful face of film noir" during the 1940s and 1950s
The stunning colorized photos collected here capture some of the most jaw dropping images that won't be found in history books. Some of these photos date back to the 19th century, but take a closer look and you'll see how the colorization captured more than expected.
By adding color to a photo that was once black and white it takes on a quality that makes it look like it was taken yesterday. What once looked like an archaic part of the past now shows a different side of history that you already know. These people could be someone that you know or that you've seen in passing, it's just that they're from another century.
It's eerie how the past is now brought back to life in such a relatable way thanks to the power of colorization. Look closer and you'll see that life is incredibly similar to the way it was when these pictures were taken.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Scott dropped the E from the front of her name when she moved to New York City at the age of 17. She quickly found work on Broadway and hit the road as a touring member of the Hellzapoppin road show for 18 months. She spent years working in the theater, mostly as an understudy, but when she traveled to Hollywood in the 1940s she found work in a series of noir films.
Walt Disney and His Magical Creations
When Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in 1928 he had no way of knowing exactly what kind of cultural contribution he was making. There was no way to know that by simply producing Steamboat Willie that very year that he was changing not only the landscape of animation and filmmaking, but that he was laying the groundwork for a new kind of entertainment that would still be beloved almost 100 years later. It was only a couple of years later that Disney began to license merchandise that had Mickey's face all over it.
Japanese-American college students during their relocation to an internment camp. Sacramento, 1942
During World War II Americans of Japanese descent were taken from their homes and moved to "Relocation Centers" throughout the west. Most of the centers were in California and they each were like their own little towns with schools, post offices, places to work, and farmland where people were allowed to grow their own food. As idyllic as that sounds, the perimeter of each camp was surrounded with barbed wire and armed guards were waiting to take down escapees until the internment camps shut down following the end of the war.
Anne Frank when she was 12, posing for her school photo in 1941. Lest we forget.
When German forces occupied the Netherlands in 1941 she was just a girl attending school. The military forced her to leave public school and attend a strictly Jewish program. Less than a year after she was forced to change schools the Frank family went into hiding behind Otto Frank's food business.
Cecil J Williams in 1956, drinking from a fountain marked "WHITE ONLY"
At the height of the civil rights movement Cecil J Williams was a young photographer who traveled to the south to photograph this important movement in real time. As a young man he was burdened with representing a group of people with his photos, but he was also full of the bluster of youth. This photo doesn't just show a young man striking out against racism, it shows a young man risking his life.
Frances 'Poppy' Northcutt, First Female NASA Engineer in the Apollo Program (1969)
"Poppy" Northcutt was only 25-years-old when she took her place in the NASA control room in 1965 as the Gemini program was transitioning to the Apollo program. At the time she was the only woman on the floor of mission control, something that didn't escape her while she was helping bring a man to the moon. She wasn't expected to be as formidable of an engineer as anyone else she worked with.
A photo of Joseph Stalin taken at 4:31 am on June 22, 1941. He was just told that Germany had attacked the USSR, starting a war against the Soviet Union. The photographer was asked to destroy the photo but he saved it
Even though Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler were at extreme ideological odds, their countries had sighed a nonaggression pact in 1939 that stated Russia would stand idly by while Germany went full bore into World War II. And that's exactly what they did. Even as Hitler spoke openly about how Russians were a "mass of born slaves who feel the need of a master" Stalin sat by, confident that Germany would keep to the pact that the two countries signed until he was finally forced to act.
German prisoners of war in an American camp, photographed as they’re forced to watch a film about the German concentration camps, 1945.
The men in this photo are members of the German military who have been captured as prisoners of war. One of the many things they were tasked with after they were taken captive by American soldiers was to own up to what the Third Reich was doing to the Jewish people in concentration camps. Known as denazification, showing these men the horrific actions that they were fighting for was meant to squeeze every ounce of Nazi pride out of these soldiers.
8-year-old Różyczka Goździewska, the youngest nurse in the Warsaw Uprising. She helped as an assistant in the field hospital by bringing water to the injured, chasing away flies and serving as a source of happiness
Serving as the youngest nurse during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, Różyczka Goździewska was just a child when she was put into the position of caring for people in pain during World War II. Referred to as a nurse because of the way that she made her patients smile, she brought water to people in need and did her best to keep flies away from their wounds. Even though she was growing up in the middle of Europe during World War II she survived and went on to graduate from the Silesian University of Technology.
Flight Sergeant James Hyde with mascot dog "Dingo". He was killed when his Spitfire was shot down by German fighters near Nijmegen, Holland, on September 25, 1944.
Spitfire pilot James Hyde came from San Juan, Trinidad to fight for the Allied Forces in World War II. After arriving in England in 1942 for training he formed a bond with his squadron's mascot, "Dingo," a very furry little doggo who was more than pal, he was a companion in hard times. Dingo kept the men in his squadron company and he was a source of relief in hard times.
John Quincy Adams, the first president to have his picture taken, 1843
Taken in March 1843, this isn't just a photo of the first president to have his picture taken. It's the first photo to ever be taken of a president although it was taken long after he left the White House. At the time that this photo was taken Adams was 75 years old and serving in the House of Representatives representing Massachusetts, a position he held until he passed away in 1848.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg during her first term as a D.C. Circuit judge (1980)
Long before she was a Supreme Court judge, cultural touchstone or a meme, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Put in the position by Jimmy Carter, Ginsburg served there for 13 years. Carter felt that her work as the director of the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU made her the perfect person to take on the job.
Family portrait after World War I
World War I was one of the most bloody and destructive wars that the planet has ever seen. Its sheer violence and horrors were only exceeded decades later with World War II. This photo shows just how many lives were claimed, and how normal it was for families to lose their fathers on the front lines.
Night fishing in Hawaii, 1948
The colorization of this photo shows you exactly what it was like to go night fishing in Hawaii years before it became an official state of the Union. At the time, Hawaiians used spears to catch fish in the shallow part of the ocean or along the more rocky terrain. The kukui-nut torch that this man is using isn't just to light up his evening, it draws in fish to the his position.
Dorothea Lange Portrait of Mother and Child during The Great Depression, 1939
Some of the most important photos of the 20th century were taken by Dorothea Lange at the tail end of her time as a photographer for the Resettlement Administration in the 1930s. While driving through California she passed a sign pointing towards a camp for pea pickers. She drove 20 miles down the road and found a mother with her children, she knew she had to photograph them.
A police officer scolds an anti-masker 1918
During the flu pandemic of 1918 and 1919 nearly 50 million people lost their lives across the world, 675,000 of those people were in the United States alone. To stop the spread of the flu mask mandates were put in place but some people claimed that the masks were hard to wear and that they made it impossible to do their jobs. People who refused to wear the masks faced fines, jail time, and even being publicly shamed.
April 18, 1963, Toronto Maple Leafs GM and coach Punch Imlach savors the moment. The sign reads "No Practice Tomorrow"
If there was ever a day to take a break it's after winning the Stanley Cup. George "Punch" Imlach served as the GM and coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1958-1969 and in that time he led the team to some of its highest highs. Under his tutelage the Maple Leafs took home the Stanley Cup four times from '62 - '64 and again in '67.
American troops on board a landing craft heading for the beaches at Oran in Algeria during Operation Torch, November 1942
When the Allied forces took to the beaches of French North Africa in November 1942 it was done to draw the Axis away from the Eastern Front in order to give the Soviet military somewhat of a break. From this photo it looks like the young men who were sent into this battle were barely out of high school if that. Many young men jumped at the chance to serve during World War II, a decision that aged them far beyond their years.
Italian Farmworker in Bridgetown, New Jersey. 1941
Working in the vegetable fields of New Jersey, this woman is making sure that the local economy keeps moving. She's not just one person throwing beans into a basket, she's a part of a community who's helping to feed the people around them. By 1942, she and women liker her made up most of the work force.
Colorization of A Photograph Taken From the Auschwitz Album
Most of the photos in the Auschwitz Album were taken by two members of the SS: Ernst Hofmann and Bernhard Walter. They were only meant to take identification photos of the camp's inmates, but many of the photos act as slice of life photography of an era of evil. The photos in this album detail what life was life for people in concentration camps up until their final moments and they remind us of the true evil that man is capable of.
Kane Tanaka, born in 1903. At her 118 years old is the only living human that was alive both during Kitty Hawk first flight on Earth and Ingenuity first flight on Mars
Kane Tanaka isn't just the oldest living person in the world, she's a survivor. CNN reports that this long living woman has survived cancer twice and she had four children with the man she married when she was only 19-years-old before working in their family store until she turned 103. Not only has she seen the wonders of the technology come and go, but she's watched the world change in front of her eyes.
A selfie taken by Edvard Munch after admitting himself to a psychiatric clinic in 1908
Munch believed that his depression and anxiety coupled with his drinking was leading him to an early grave. He spent six months in a facility where he dieted and received "electrification" therapy for his nerves. After he left the hospital he was noticeably more relaxed and easy to get along with, and it's likely that without this stay in a psychiatric facility he wouldn't have lived to the ripe age of 80-years-old.
Queen Elizabeth, at Buckingham Palace, photograph by Cecil Beaton, 1942
There is perhaps no greater test of a leader than how they handle life during war time. During the second World War England changed drastically and England's Royal Family was left to maintain a sense of normalcy throughout the country. The then-Princess Elizabeth threw herself into her responsibilities, first as a person who could speak to the young people of England, and then as a medical driver in London.
American Civil War Veterans drop flowers from the air onto Gettysburg Battlefield to honor fallen comrades, 1938
When the Battle of Gettysburg occurred in the summer of 1863, there's no way that the soldiers fighting on the field thought that they would one day be flying above it in an airplane. It's hard to imagine the amount of technological advancements were made in the years between the Civil War and the early 20th century. Hopefully we're all so comfortable with the changes in technology when we're their age.
Joan Crawford, one of the greatest stars of the golden era of Hollywood
Crawford's success came when she appeared as a lovelorn rich girl in 1928's Our Dancing Daughters. From then on she worked, worked, worked, and rarely took the time to have a personal life. Her workaholic nature finally paid off in the 1930s when she not only was named the top-earning star of the decade but when she won an Academy Award for her work in 1945's Mildred Pierce.
Henry Ossian Flipper, the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point
Henry Ossian Flipper wasn't simply a member of the military or a graduate of West Point, he was a former slave who became the first African American to graduate from West Point. After his graduation he served with the United States Army until 1882 and rose to the rank of second lieutenant. While serving in the military he became the first nonwhite officer to lead buffalo soldiers of the 10th Cavalry.
Eartha Kitt as photographed by Chuck Stewart, circa 1955
While most people know Eartha Kitt as one of the three amazing Catwomen on Batman in the late '60s, she had a lengthy and sultry career prior to her time in the DC universe. In the 1950s, Kitt had a string of hits that made her a star in an era when people of color were still not allowed to eat in the same restaurant as white people. Kitt found a way to cross lines and gain fans from across spectrum.
Oda Nobuyoshi, civil right activist and dentist from Japan during the Meiji Era, photo taken in 1880 when he was 20 years old
When the startlingly handsome face of Oda Nobuyoshi appeared online people were shook. Not only is this dentist/activist incredibly good looking, but he's somewhat of a mystery. Born in 1860, he moved to Tokyo to learn dentistry before the age of 20 and was apparently considered to be so popular that he was used in advertisements throughout Japan.
Bruce Lee with producer Fred Weintraub, on the set of 'Enter the Dragon', in 1973
Initially, Lee believed that he had total control over Enter The Dragon, but when he discovered that Warner Brothers had no desire to let him make the movie he wanted he just refused to show up on set. He knew that if he didn't do something dire that the film would be ruined so he began a two week standoff with the distributor. After about 14 days the producers gave up and told Lee to make whatever he wanted.
This girl, who grew up in a concentration camp was asked to draw "home," while living in a residence for disturbed children. Warsaw, Poland, 1948.
Taken in 1948, this photo exposed the horrific effects of concentration camps on children to millions of people when it was first published in LIFE magazine. As the title states, this young woman, Tereska, was simply asked to draw home but instead drew an unending cacophony of spiraling lines. Her blank stare provides a window in the existential dread that no child should know.
Harry Houdini (c.1900)
In the summer of 1900, Houdini nabbed a booking at the Alhambra by performing for free for the detectives of Scotland Yard. He was finally given a spot on a show and he was immediately challenged by another performer to escape from a pair of handcuffs. Houdini nailed the challenge and he quickly became a darling of the papers and hit in London, securing a two month booking at the Alhambra and the rest is history.
16 year old German soldier crying after being captured by the Allies, 1945
One of the most harrowing stories of World War II is the capture of 16-year-old Hans-Georg Henke. In 1944, he was serving as an anti-aircraft soldier and member of Hitler Youth and while it's unclear exactly why he was so upset upon his capture - there are varying stories - the one thing that's apparent is that this boy was thrust into the horrors of war at far too young of an age. Initially it was believed that Henke was weeping because the Russian military put a stop to the Luftwaffe but another theory states that he was weeping from the shock of war following an attack by American forces and that his story changed later in life.
Nicholas II, the last Tzar of Russia, informal photo of him (unknown date)
This shot of Nicholas II does something that biographies and more serious photos can't, it makes him feel much more human. He was crowned Tzar of Russia in 1896 in spite of the fact that he was far less of an intellectual than the rest of his family members, something that made him much more popular among the working class (for a time). He loved the pomp and circumstance of the military and sought to bring that to his time leading the country.
Berlin 1961: Escape to the West
Two days following the rise of the barb wall version of the wall, 18-year-old East German police officer Conrad Schumann was put on patrol at the corner of Bernauer Strasse and Ruppiner Strasse and at 4pm he jumped over the wall and into a waiting West German police car. He later said:
My nerves were at a breaking point. I was very afraid. I took off, jumped, and into the car… in three, four seconds, it was all over.
In 1911 the Mona Lisa was returned to Louvre after it was stolen
28 months after the Mona Lisa was stolen it popped up in Florence when Vincenzo Perugia tried to sell it to a dealer in the area. Perugia was caught pretty much immediately and he claimed that the painting was stolen by Napoleon and that he wanted to return it Italy. Today, the Mona Lisa can still be seen at the Louvre.
A British Army soldier handles a homing pigeon at an Air Ministry Pigeon Section loft in England during World War II in April 1941
Homing pigeons served the Allied Forces by transmitting messages throughout various theaters of war and helped soldiers speak to one another without using radio signals. 32 pigeons received the Dickin Medal during World War II. Created by the British, this medal was given to animals who displayed honor and valor under fire.
A British veteran of the Napoleonic wars posing with his wife
Taken in 1850, 35 years following the battle of Waterloo, this photo shows an aging veteran of the Napoleonic wars with his wife. Look closely and you'll notice a medal pinned to the man's jacket that shows he served in the Spanish campaign. It's not totally clear how old this man is, but from the lines on his face it's obvious that time and poverty have been unkind.
Anna May Wong Poses in a Publicity Photo for "The Toll of the Sea" (1922)
Wong dropped out of high school in 1921 to pursue acting full-time, and she was only 17-years-old when she earned a role in The Toll of the Sea, a silent film version of Madame Butterfly. Her career didn't really take off until she left Hollywood for Europe. Afterwards, Paramount Studios sought her out for a series of leading roles while she also worked on Broadway.
Audrey Hepburn, America's sweetheart even though she was born in England
Audrey Hepburn almost didn't make it to the silver screen. When she was just a teenager in Holland she almost died of starvation during World War II. In the winter of 1944 and '45 she had to live in her family cellar for weeks at a time because of the German bombing campaign overhead. She later recalled:
I went as long as three days without food and most of the time we existed on starvation rations. For months, breakfast was hot water and one slice of bread, made from brown beans. Broth for lunch was made from one potato and there was no milk, sugar, cereals of any kind.
Charles S.L. Baker (1859-1926) was an American inventor, who patented the friction heater
Baker worked for 20 years to come up with the theory of friction heat, something he believed to be more cost effective than the traditional radiator. He patented the system and started a company called The Friction heat & Boiler Company of which he sat on the board of directors. Baker's work may not be known to many, but his system shows what can be accomplished with hard work.
The Graf Zeppelin flies over the 4000 year-old pyramids in Giza, Egypt, 1931
Taken in 1931, this photo shows the way in which the new world and the old world mixed in marvelous detail in the first half of the 20th century. While this photo may seem like a photo editors dream, it's the genuine article. Seeing it in full color gives it the feeling of something we could see today - that is if zeppelins were still flying around.
US Soldier with pictures of his girlfriend, Chu Chi base camp, Vietnam 1968
When U.S. soldiers shipped out to Vietnam in the 1960s they left behind their friends, families, and loved ones. With no real assurance that they would be returned in one piece many of the men who fought in the war brought along as many photos and trinkets as possible to remember their former lives. This photo shows just how important it was for soldiers to a have a piece of home on them at all times.
Spanish flu, California 1918
For many living in California between 1918 and 1920 they did what they could to stay healthy and that meant wearing a mask over their mouths and noses while staying away from large gatherings. Science was nowhere near as good as it is today so people simply had to wait for the flu to burn itself out. It was well into 1920 before life was back to normal and people could about their lives as if nothing had happened.
Josephine Baker, a performer, French resistance agent, and civil rights activist.
This full color photo of Josephine Baker when she was at the height of her popularity in France during the 1920s. Not just a dancer, Baker worked as a member of the French Resistance during World War II before going on to fight racism in the United States in the civil rights movement throughout the '50s and '60s. Her medical training during World War II made her a necessary member of the both the French Resistance.
Pioneers from the 1st Foreign Regiment of French Foreign Legion arrive in Paris just in time for the 1939 Bastille Day Parade
Created as a group with the specific purpose of clearing obstacles and barriers set down by the enemy, the Pioneers used their axes to smash anything and everything in their way. When they weren't wrecking shop, these guys worked as craftsmen who fixed anything that needed repairing on the battlefield. Today, the pioneers serve an important ceremonial function that reminds the French of their past.
Three men of "The Windrush Generation" migrants from the Caribbean arrive on UK shores, 1948
This little known group from the Caribbean, the Windrush Generation, came to the shores of England between 1948 and 1971. The term "Windrush" comes from the name of the ship that brought many people from the Caribbean islands to the UK, the MV Empire Windrush. Brought to the country as a way to fill labor shortages, many of the people of this group had to take on menial tasks to simply get by.
Woman standing on the frozen Mississippi River (1905)
We often think of the south as a place of warm climates and an eternal summer, but it can freeze just as easily as places in the northeast and the Midwest. Frozen rivers like this were a huge part of the ice trade throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Long before people were able to use freezers to make their own ice they had to purchase chunks of ice that were cut out of a frozen lake.