Vintage Pictures Given New Life Thanks to Colorization Technology

Most of these photographs had been forgotten after being locked away for such a long time. Many were misplaced in dusty cellars, sealed inside boxes, and crammed up among other anachronistic things that the sun no longer had the chance to gaze on. Thanks to a technology that allows them to be accurately colorized, however, these black-and-white windows into history are able to breathe in new life, growing into something far more revealing than anyone expected.

Along with Adolf Hitler’s ambition of dominating the world came his plan to steal thousands of art masterpieces so he could someday build a super museum in the town of Linz, Austria. This was where he’d spent most of his boyhood. 

This is a modernized photograph of Europe’s three record-holders at the time. Taken in 1913, it shows stunning men of incredible sizes. Playing a game of cards with a round of drinks, we see the continent’s shortest, tallest, and fattest man of the time, each trying to outsmart the other.

Young Brigitte Bardot’s beauty was well-fitted for the limelight. In the same year that she was featured on the cover of Elle magazine, the French actress started to land a few roles on the silver screen. She eventually became an international star and a pop culture icon of the ‘50s and ‘60s. 

On August 12, 1961, the border between East and West Germany was sealed by the Soviets. The rampart was 155 km wide, effectively hemming in West Berlin. This was both a physical and a symbolic barrier – an ideological wall between opposing powers. 

After Vivian Leigh read the novel Gone with the Wind, she instantly knew she wanted to play the role of Scarlett O’Hara. Though she was British and the character was a southern belle, Leigh was determined to play the role perfectly. Despite her love for it, she never believed the film would be a success.

This pup found its way into the trenches of the Seaforth Highlanders, some of whom wore kilts while the riflemen wore trousers. At this moment, they were taking a break from a skirmish. These infantrymen were sent by Scotland to take part in the First World War against the Fascist-leaning nations (Germany, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary).

Rocco Morabito was driving in the vicinity when Randall G. Champion was electrocuted after accidentally touching the low voltage line. He saw his co-worker JD Thompson run and climb the pole to catch Champion, now hanging upside down, and give him CPR. Morabito backed up and called for an ambulance.

This photograph of a military commander in full gear is a testament to his nobility. It was taken by Felice Beato in 1863. The last of the samurai were rendered obsolete by Japan in 1876 and were gradually replaced by regular soldiers who were cheaper to maintain.

The Terra Nova sits still in the background as Taylor (Geologist) and Wright (Meteorologist) take in the preternaturally white view of Antarctica. The expedition was headed by Robert Falcon Scott, with the aim of reaching the South Pole first. In the end, they were bested by Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer who beat them by 34 days.

Jack Kelsey played for Arsenal from 1949-1963. In this 1954 photograph of the goalkeeper from Wales, he can be seen staring intently through the thick fog, watching for a stealthy ball that never came. This is reminiscent of a match between Chelsea and Stamford Ridge in 1937. 

The American actress enjoyed posing in a bathing suit for silent movie actor Harold Lloyd. Before her breakthrough years, Marilyn Monroe frequented Lloyd’s estate for such collaborations, and she adored his abode at Greenacres because it gave her a sense of isolation and privacy.

This photograph was taken in 1935. An aged Civil War veteran can be seen sitting on a curb in Pennsylvania. He was surrounded by boot shiners as soon as he sat down. He still wears the antiquated soldier cap, perhaps the same one he wore on the battlefield between 1861 and 1865. 

This picture marks the beginning of the end to public school segregation in the US, depicting a young Ruby Bridges guarded by federal marshals outside the William Frantz Elementary School. It didn’t make any sense for her to enroll in other schools because William Frantz was mere blocks away from where she lived in New Orleans. 

A German soldier poses for a photograph with all his gear in hand. There were many dugouts like this, where soldiers worked for days on end to establish and hold their ground. Land conflicts were in heavy use during the First World War.

This photo was snapped on the set of the drama film Giant in 1956. Elizabeth Taylor generously posed as if it were a side hustle, her bright blue eyes piercing the lens. Her beauty was so profound that many men wanted to marry her – tycoons, actors, socialites – and she did settle down and marry… eight times (two of which were to the same man). 

A fisherman in Hawaii is halted for a shot, with his torch overhead as a natural source of light. Every coastal district in the country is given access to shorelines for fishing, and many of them craft their hunting tools out of uhiuhi or kauila trees, which can yield spears up to six or seven feet long. 

Albert Einstein may be one of the greatest physicists the world has ever known, but he wasn’t the stereotypical standoffish man of science. He actually had a great sense of humor. He was also an artist who longed to meet silent movie actor Charlie Chaplin. Finally, Carl Laemmle formally introduced them.

Notorious Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had a soft side that only those closest to him had a chance to witness. Contrary to his contemptible public demeanor, made very clear since the start of his reign in 1933, he loved art and architecture. He decorated his homes himself, and he loved to make them airy and bright. They had large lawns where he trained his pups and spent time with the children in his family.

When the first global conflict broke out, Thomas Edward Lawrence volunteered to join the British military and was assigned to Egypt. He supported and became a valuable part of the Great Arab Revolt, where the Arab forces aimed to topple the iron grip of the Ottoman Empire in the hope of establishing an independent and unified Arab state.

Allied soldiers wade ashore on D-Day – the 6th of June, 1944 – on the Normandy coast, commencing Operation Overlord with airborne and amphibious attacks to free Western Europe from German occupation. American, Canadian, Australian, and English soldiers stormed the beaches under a leaden sky, too gloomy to be colorized.

The smallest man in the world in 1956 was a man named Henry Behrens, who called himself Colonel Peewee. He was so small (30 inches tall) that the cat he’s dancing with outside his home in Worthing seems to be just the right size for a waltz!

Carl Akeley spent many months in Africa as a pioneer taxidermist and naturalist. It was during his long travels to the continent that he learned more than just the art of animal body preservation. Beyond taxidermy, he became an all-rounder and a veterinary explorer. 

After Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, US authorities on the mainland scrambled to relocate all Japanese-Americans to internment centers. Families were separated because of this move, housed in multiple apartments, regardless of whether they had anything to do with the infamous day or not.

Here, we see a picture of great financial loss and desperation. This was the aura that pervaded American cities at the end of the sixth day at the New York Stock Exchange, the 29th of October 1929, infamously known as Black Tuesday. This major crash led to a whirlwind of events and chaos as investment bankers scurried to save the troubled market.

In a day that many call the saddest in American history, barely an hour after John F. Kennedy’s death at a parade in in Dallas, Lyndon Johnson takes the oath of office as the mourning nation’s new president. 

Dorothea Lange found herself drawn to the hardship endured by many Americans during the Great Depression. This was the heart-rending theme for many of her photographs, but her images weren’t all doom and gloom. The photo below shows a temporary bean harvester with his wife.

At the end of the second global war, Ernst Haas felt swayed by the drama of the soldiers’ emotional return home and tried to capture these moments through his photography. This picture caught nationwide attention and put Haas in the spotlight. He received many job offers afterward, including one from Life magazine. However, he preferred to remain freelance so he could pursue his own ideas.

Some rumors suggest that, when he was still a senator, John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline over the phone. Others claimed the proposal happened in Georgetown at Martin’s Tavern. Either way, the pair traveled soon after to the Kennedy family home in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod.

The story of Hans-Georg Henke, a sixteen-year-old German boy soldier captured by the Allied members on the 3rd of April 1945, reflects the evils of this time. His story reveals the hideous path the German army took during the 1940s by recruiting boys to fill out their numbers. 

Poland suffered extensive damage in the aftermath of the Second World War, especially during its final stages when the retreating German forces were pursued by the Soviet Red Army. In some areas, infrastructure was left in ruin.

This is a rare photograph of Winston Churchill. Taken in 1895, it stands in contrast to most snapshots of him at the height of his leadership as prime minister, amidst the chaos and grim experience that surrounded the second global conflict.

The German-born physicist has become synonymous with the word “genius” thanks to his contributions to the field of science, not the least of which involved authoring the world’s most famous equation. His body of work is still influential.

In some places, hitchhiking has been banned for safety reasons. Yet up to this day, travelers are occasionally seen along highways across the country signaling for a ride, typically with their backs facing the direction they wish to go, arms outstretched, thumb pointed to the sky. 

Dwight Eisenhower abandoned his original plan of circumventing the liberation of Paris in favor of more vital operations, making it his top priority after his meeting with General Charles de Gaulle.

Young Charlie Chaplin ventured into acting before the age of ten. His mother believed in his innate talent, and his father’s death meant that the family needed help to get by. With his mother struggling mentally, Charlie and his brother Sydney took over as heads of the household.

In the 1930s, a severe change in regional climate caused droughts and dust storms in the Southern Plains. To make things worse, new federal land policies and poor farm economics cost many people their jobs, forcing them to migrate to other places to earn a living.

When Jim Liberman saw Pamela Hardy (who later on became known as “Jungle Pam”) for the first time, he knew that she was the perfect counterpart and embodiment of his personality as a showman and funny drag racer on the tracks. He immediately hired her as his sidekick, so she could do her best to upstage him and his car at events. 

Many jobs were vacated in the American mainland during the 1940s after thousands of men were shipped overseas to join in the effort against the Axis Powers. To keep the economy moving, many women took over for their male counterparts, driving trucks, operating assembly lines, and handling munitions production. These jobs were all critical to winning the conflict.

This site was originally installed as an exchange camp where German POWs were swapped for Jews who were being held hostage. Sadly, its purpose shifted and it eventually became the largest concentration camp. Wary of the coming retaliation for their crimes, the Nazis fled when the end of the global conflict seemed imminent.

Pablo Picasso had many artistic talents, first focusing on naturalistic paintings as an adolescent and later experimenting with various techniques, theories, and ideas. He also managed to have a fruitful social life beyond his professional work, especially when he lived in Paris.

The 12th of September 1953 marked the marriage ceremony of Jacqueline Bouvier to Senator John Kennedy. It took place in Newport, Rhode Island, on a bright and sunny day. As expected, the service was a dreamy event that seemed to have been lifted from the pages of a fairytale. 

Entire nations were scared to stand up against Adolf Hitler, who bullied Germany’s neighbors and terrorized his own people after becoming chancellor of Germany in 1933. He ruled with an iron hand through the establishment of the Enabling Act, but German student Sophie Scholl was having none of it. 

This 21-year veteran of the seas was a sailor on the HMS Rodney. He also appears to be the real-life equivalent of the famous cartoon character Popeye, who often fought Bluto for Olive’s affection. He has that familiar facial structure and even sports an identical pipe.

Before the conflict, these infantrymen lived at home with their loved ones. Many were students, while some worked in local businesses. Nothing could have prepared them for the Normandy Landings in 1944.

After making it big in Europe, actress Sophia Loren finally landed in Hollywood. This infamous photograph was taken during her welcome party hosted by Paramount Pictures at a famous restaurant in Beverly Hills. The night was designed to celebrate the Italian actress, confirming that she was ready for bigger things to come – until Jayne Mansfield strutted in late to the party to pose by her side, with a big smile and other notable assets on display.

As an exponent for aestheticism in art, Irish poet Oscar Wilde used to travel regularly to talk about the “English Renaissance,” as well interior design (another of his passions). He was known for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which explored the darker side of beauty, decadence, and deceit.

Margaretha MacLeod was more popularly known by her stage name Mata Hari. She was uncovered as a spy for the Germans. But this was only a single facet of her colorful life, which history shows she lived with thrill and excitement. 

Despite its neutral stance, the Netherlands found itself in the crosshairs of the German forces during the 1940s. This was a strategic move for the Axis Powers who wanted to take over France and use the Netherlands as a defense against the British.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, American activist Martin Luther King Jr. attempted to rid society of racial inequality through peaceful means. He spearheaded movements that promoted peace and loving values, similar to the way Gandhi sought to liberate India from British rule.

Gathering annually near the Little Bighorn River in Montana, starting each day of the Crow Fair with a colorful parade, various Native American tribes join for a pow-wow to celebrate their culture and traditions. With thousands of participants and spectators, it is a monumental get-together.

A traumatized 18-year-old Russian prisoner stares into the lens of the camera amidst the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp in 1945. The Dachau concentration camp is located in Dachau, Germany

An Ojibwe Native American fishes in Minnesota, in the year 1908. They are currently in southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and the Northern Plains. The term “Ojibwe” means “Puckered Moccasin People.”

In 1944, persecuted Jewish women and children arrived at the extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. The camp was located in Poland and was in operation from May 1940 until January 27th, 1945, when it was liberated by the Soviet Union.

Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian, as well as an international cultural and fashion icon. She was born on May 4th, 1929 in Ixelles, Belgium and died on January 20th, 1993 in Tolochenaz, Switzerland.

Coney Island opened America’s first ever roller coaster on June 16th, 1884, at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Coney Island eventually became an amusement resort at the beach.

Here is a rare photograph of a samurai in Japan. Samurais were hereditary military nobility in medieval and early-modern Japan.

This colorized photograph was taken in New Jersey in 1911. Thomas Edison was an American businessman and inventor who developed many fields including electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.

This photograph is of a Nihang bodyguard, or Akali bodyguard, translated as (the immortals). They were armed Sikh warriors who originated in the subcontinent of India. This bodyguard holds a khanda sword in his right hand and in his left hand is a ball and chain.

A group of four women dressed as witches pose for a portrait. The women in the middle appear to be holding some sort of deceased creature on their laps, while the women on either side hold brooms and a dustpan.

British tattoo artist, George Burchett, also known as “King of Tattooists.” He was born on August 23rd, 1872 and died on April 3rd, 1953. He was originally from England.

William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody pictured in 1889. He was an American soldier, showman, and bison hunter. He hailed from Le Claire, Iowa Territory, however he spent much of his time in his father’s hometown in Ontario, Canada.

General William Tecumseh Sherman was a soldier in the American Civil War. General Sherman was a part of the Union Army–the winning side. He was also a businessman, educator, and author.

A window washer leans back for a photograph while on the job. He was working on the Empire State Building on March 24th, 1936.

A young couple attends a fair in Klamath Falls, Oregon, 1942. They appear to be watching a show of some sort, as they are staring with engaged eyes towards something that the camera cannot see.

Protestors in Little Rock, Arkansas gather to rally against school integration. This protest took place in 1959 at the thought of Black Americans and White Americans attending school together.

Casimir Zeglen, the inventor of bulletproof vests, tests one of the first prototypes in Washington, D.C. in 1923. 

U.S. soldiers prepare for an amphibious landing in the midst of World War Two’s Operation Torch. The photo was taken on November 8, 1942, around three years before the end of the war. 

Pictured is the inside of a New York subway car including stylish and impeccably dressed women passengers seated and chatting while the unformed male conductor presides over them.

Poet Walt Whitman in the year 1868. Walt Whitman was an American poet, journalist, and essayist. Walt Whitman is often called the father of free verse

One of the most famous pioneers of aviation, Wilbur Wright, was photographed gliding in a flying machine that predates the one used to complete the first-ever controlled flight.