An Artist Colorizes Old Photos, and They Can Change Your Perception of the Past (36 Photos)

Black and white photography remains popular, and images without the full spectrum of color have their own unique character. However, in our time, nothing is impossible, and even such a thing as colorization can completely change the look of a photo and our impression. French artist Sebastien de Oliveira is a true master of digital coloring of vintage photographs.





1. Sergeant Franklin Williams on vacation with his girlfriend Ellen Hardin, Baltimore, Maryland, March 1942



"For me, AI is still not suitable for coloring old photos. I don't use it. I color photos like an artist, by hand. I see my work as an adaptation of the original, so my choices are completely individual. My version and the AI version will always be be different,” says Sebastien.

2. Sophia Loren, Rome, 1963



When asked which photographs he enjoys editing the most, the artist replied: “I love old photographs from the 1930s to the 1950s, as well as the 1940s. The designs, the clothes, the general atmosphere - it all gives me a strong sense of nostalgia. The best way going back in time is colorization.”

3. John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy in 1953



We wondered how much time Sebastien spends on one image: “On average it takes two to three hours, which is not that much. My work as a photo retoucher in the fashion industry has taught me to work quickly.”

4. Marilyn Monroe reading, Beverly Carlton Hotel, Los Angeles, 1952



The images colored by Sebastien look very realistic and it is often difficult to tell that they were originally in black and white.

"My technique is not so easy to explain in a few words. Let's say I observe a lot about how light affects objects - reflections, transparency, white balance and all the different interactions between them, and I found a technical way to reproduce them. I also learn from "Impressionists and other artists who worked on the reproduction of light. I also find inspiration in old color photographs, such as the Lumière brothers' Autochromes."

5. Worker from Knoxville, Tennessee, June 1942



"I don't do this for a living, but I do a lot of it. I have been involved in several projects, such as the book "Extraordinary Journeys" for Louis Vuitton, an article for France-Amérique magazine, and also completed several commissions. I would love to work on other projects related to colorization."

6. James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor during a break from filming Giant in June 1955



7. Passers-by on Broadway watch a chef prepare spaghetti, New York, 1937.



8. Street, July 1958



9. Teenagers walking among fallen leaves, 1940s



10. Greyhound Bus Terminal Waiting Room, Detroit, Michigan, August 1942



11. Independence Day Celebration in Oregon



12. Marcello Mastroianni, Milan, 1960



13. "Girl from the Auto Repair Shop", 1945



14. Claire Bloom and Richard Burton, stars of the film Look Back in Anger, in a cafe in London, September 20, 1958



15. Mulberry Street Ice Vendor, January 1943



16. Actress Doris Hawke, Los Angeles, 1945



17. In a bar opposite the Moulin Rouge, Paris, 1960



18. Betty Grable in 1943



19. Through the Lens of Russell Lee, May 1940



20. Mary Cumming, 21, secretary in the office of designer Raymond Loewy, New York, 1956



21. Rita Hayworth, 1941



22. High school students crossing the road, Phoenix, Arizona, May 1940



23. Actress Monica Vitti reads magazines at Rome airport, July 1961



24. Provincetown, Massachusetts, summer 1937



25. Marilyn Monroe posing for Earl Moran, 1947



26. Virginia Lively, gas station worker, Louisville, Kentucky, June 1943



27. Waiting for a traffic light, Washington, D.C., spring 1939



28. Office of Naval Intelligence, Washington, DC, 1918



29. Cafe, San Francisco, 1941



30. Sevres, Paris, 1950



31. Children on bicycles, Detroit, Michigan, July 1942



32. High school students in a cafe, Phoenix, Arizona, May 1940



33. FSA (Farm Security Administration) borrower and his seven children, Laredo, Montana, August 1941



34. California, 1945



35. September 1942. Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Sergeant George Campler cleaning his rifle