Restored and colorized photos of US Presidents

Chew Toy McCoy

Chew Toy McCoy

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I Restored and Colorized a Portrait of Every President Who Lived Before Color Photography

I’ve been restoring and also coloring historical photographs for a little over two years. Towards the end of last year, I received a request to work on an
petapixel.com petapixel.com

Amazing.

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Chew Toy McCoy said:
petapixel.com

I Restored and Colorized a Portrait of Every President Who Lived Before Color Photography

I’ve been restoring and also coloring historical photographs for a little over two years. Towards the end of last year, I received a request to work on an
petapixel.com petapixel.com

Amazing.

Thumb-Option-1.jpg
Click to expand...
These are great… Taft really looks like the original fat cat. 🙂
And to my eyes, Ulysses S Grant is even more handsome all coloured up. I have always loved his face… those eyes saw a lot.

This reminded me of Peter Jackson's restoration of some World War I footage.
There is a documentary of it, "They shall not grow old".

the-shall-not-grow-old-restoration.jpg
 
Arkitect said:
These are great… Taft really looks like the original fat cat. 🙂
And to my eyes, Ulysses S Grant is even more handsome all coloured up. I have always loved his face… those eyes saw a lot.

This reminded me of Peter Jackson's restoration of some World War I footage.
There is a documentary of it, "They shall not grow old".

the-shall-not-grow-old-restoration.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, agreed, Taft does look like the original "fat cat", or boated plutocrat, Grant is striking, Lincoln looks haunted and prematurely aged by his office and responsibilities, Jefferson's expression seems amused, detached, and slightly condescending and contemptuous.

Some of the expressions of the faces of those 19th century portraits (even as photographs, or daguerreotypes) are both impressively natural and wonderfully unguarded, unlike the more composed (and controlled) shots from the 20th century (and later) when the subjects appeared to be more aware of the power - for good or ill - of such an image, and the consequent necessity therefore of keeping some degree of control over one's expression, if not the actual image itself.
 
iMi said:
I just realized something. Trump will be the first President in history to be de-colorized. Orange is not a skin tone.
Click to expand...

Damn.

This is one post that I could have - would have - liked to have been able to pick on "like", and "love" and "splitting my sides laughing."

Anyway, brilliant.
 
I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the thread -- these are terrific -- very, very well done! What a fascinating and interesting hobby!
 
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