Stumbling across a black and white photo in an old book is an intriguing find for history buffs. Yet it can sometimes be hard to connect with a black and white photo on a personal level. The subjects are faded and distant; we can’t gauge the color of their eyes or the flush in their cheeks, or see the intricate lines in their face.
Your perception of history may change entirely when you discover that people across the world colorize black and white photos. Here are some of the most compelling colorized black and white photos on the web—images that practically bring history to life.
Abraham Lincoln, 1865
Photo Credit: Jordan J. LloydKing George V at Buckingham Palace (1914) before the outbreak of war
Photo Credit: Marina AmaralJ. Hamilton Lewis, representative for Washington (1897-1899) and Senator for Illinois (1913-1919, 1931-1939). He was the first Senator to hold the title of 'Whip' in the Senate, later served once more as the 5th Whip, and served in the Spanish-American war - ca. 1913
Photo Credit: Colored HistoryErwin Rommel as a Lieutenant, wearing a Pour le Mérite after the Battle of Caporetto, Italy 1917
Photo Credit: Colored HistoryMarie Curie in her laboratory in Paris, 1912
Photo Credit: Marina AmaralTsar Nicholas II of Russia and his children with Cossack officers, 1916
Photo Credit: Marina AmaralAbraham Lincoln and George McClellan at Antietam, October 2nd/3rd, 1862
Photo Credit: Colored HistoryRichard Pierce–14 years of age, works as a Western Union Telegraph Messenger. Wilmington, Delaware, ca. May 1910
Photo Credit: Colored HistoryThomas Edison with his second phonograph, photographed by Matthew Brady in Washington, April 1878
Photo Credit: Colored HistoryPortrait of a Sámi immigrant, Ellis Island, 1910
Photo Credit: Jordan J. LloydSchool at Anthoston, Kentucky. By Lewis Hine, 1916
Photo Credit: Marina AmaralThe Eiffel Tower, July 1888
Photo Credit: Jordan J. LloydSuffragists in Parade, c.1910-1915
Photo Credit: Photo RetrofitThe Cow Boy, Sturgis, Dakota Territory, c. 1888
Photo Credit: Colored HistoryConfederate soldier and family, c. 1860s
Photo Credit: Jordan J. LloydHarry Houdini steps into a crate at New York Harbor as part of an escape stunt, July 7, 1912
Photo Credit: Dana R KellerPost officers model their new Autopeds scooters, Washington DC, 1917
Photo Credit: Richard PierceLicking blocks of ice during heat wave in 1912, NYC
Photo Credit: Sanna DullawayBooker T. Washington in his Tuskegee University office, ca. 1906
Photo Credit: Colorized HistoryThe Jersey Shore c. 1905 “Boardwalk at Asbury Park”
Photo Credit: Ryan UrbanCharlie Chaplin at 27, no makeup, 1916
Photo Credit: Manuel De LeonardoFrench soldiers during the Franco Prussian War, 1870
Photo Credit: Marina AmaralHans Christian Andersen, Danish author and poet, 1869
Photo Credit: Dana R KellerAlfred R. Waud, renowned sketch artist, known mostly for work as an artist correspondent during the American Civil War, seen here sketching at Gettysburg, July 1863
Photo Credit: Colorized HistorySilent film actress Mary Pickford, c. 1920
Photo Credit: Dana R KellerEdgar Allen Poe, 1848
Photo Credit: Dana R KellerItalian immigrants arrive at Ellis Island, 1905. Their worried expressions are caused by lost baggage.
Photo Credit: Marina AmaralWalt Whitman, 1887
Photo Credit: Dana R KellerSeth Kinman, one of the earliest settlers of California, sitting on a chair he gave to President Andrew Johnson made out of a grizzly bear. He also gave a chair made of elk horns to President Lincoln, ca. 1865
Photo Credit: Colored HistoryJapanese Archers c. 1860
Photo Credit: Jordan J. LloydMary Winsor, founder and president of the Limited Suffrage Society, holds a sign during the American suffrage movement; ca. 1917
Photo Credit: Richard PierceJohn L. Burns, the 'Old Hero of Gettysburg,' with gun and crutches, ca. July 1863
Photo Credit: Colorized HistoryFeatured photo: Jordan J. Lloyd; Additional photos: Jordan J. Lloyd, Marina Amaral , Colored History, Photo Retrofit, Dana R Keller, Richard Pierce, Sanna Dullaway, Ryan Urban, Manuel De Leonardo
