Keeping memories alive may be done in a variety of ways, but one of the most prevalent is through photography. Photos document a historical event, act as a memory, and serve as a reminder of how things used to be. However, because most antique images are in black and white, it might be difficult to connect with them and imagine oneself in that era.
That’s where Sébastien de Oliveira, a digital artist, comes in. Sébastien uses Photoshop to enhance the color and vibrancy of vintage images. The individuals in the images appear to be lot more real, and the photos become much more welcoming.
Sébastien told Bored Panda: “Sébastien de Oliveira, French,I was born in Paris, France, to a Portuguese father and a French mother. I am married and have two kids. For my background, I studied illustration and photography at a school of fine art in Orléans, after which I relocated to Milan for seven years, where I worked as an architect’s illustrator and as an assistant to a fashion illustrator. I went to Paris 17 years ago to work in the fashion sector as a retoucher.”
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#1 Happy Anonymous Couple, 1948
“I started colorizing some photographs 5 years ago and it got irrepressible.” Painting, photography, and history are three of my loves that may be combined in colorization. I devote a significant amount of effort on locating photographs that tell a story. After spending some time with photographs from WW1 and WW2, I’m now more interested in basic street vistas, serene ‘tranche de vie’ (pieces of ordinary life), and colorizing portraits of actors from Hollywood’s golden age. I enjoy delving into all of the nuances in a photograph and attempting to create my own interpretation.”
#2 Circus Girls In Sarasota, Florida, By Nina Leen In 1949
#3 Blue Island, Illinois. The Senise Family Going To The Movie, By Jack Delano, Feb 1943
“I gather vintage color images as inspiration and to prevent anachronisms, but my colorizations are more of an imagined interpretation of reality than a desire to reproduce the perfection of what would have been viewed by a current camera.” My inspiration comes from the bright hues of 1950s movies like the Lumière brothers’ Autochromes, which are more impressionist than realistic in color. I just completed colorizations for the Vuitton book Extraordinary Voyages, which included 20 colorizations. In Dunkirk, I staged an exhibition with 40 colorizations of images taken by a local woman photographer during the German occupation in WWII. I’ve just been sharing my art on Instagram for three months and have already had a lot of positive feedback.
#4 Chicago, 1941
#5 Jacqueline Cochran, (1906-1980), 1939
Sébastien de Oliveira said why he colorizes images and how he got started: “At first, it was just a pastime, but it’s now become a huge part of my activity; I’m a photo retoucher and work in the fashion sector in Paris.” Because I have a background in Fine Arts, I paint and photograph. My other love was history, so I figured out a way to merge all three.”
#6 Althea Gibson Winner Of The Wimbledon Championship With Her Compatriot Darlene Hard, 1957
#7 Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) In 1956
“I have a process so all the different phases are under control and not very tough by themselves,” the artist says, “but the most difficult aspect is always choosing a color for people’s attire, because of the immensity of choice.”
#8 Cars And Girls, 1942
#9 Parisian Girls Enjoying The Fun Fair, Paris, 1935
“I love the street views from the ’40s and ’50s with rounded cars and people wearing costumes, it’s always so cinematographic!” Sébastien said of his favorite and least favorite time periods to work with: “I love the street views from the ’40s and ’50s with rounded cars and people wearing costumes, it’s always so cinematographic!” My favorite era is the American ’40s, and I’m not sure why. I appreciate it because of the lack of plastic, the elegance of the automobiles and clothing, and the connection it creates with the movies of the time. My least favorite period is the turn of the twentieth century, since you never know how to color people’s attire!”
#10 Family Of Cherry Pickers By John Vachon, 1940
#11 New York In 1942, By Marjory Collins
“I’ve been doing these colorizations for 5 years and have no plans to quit anytime soon.” I get my inspiration from vintage color images, autochromes, and old film stills, therefore my style is highly saturated and full of vibrant colors. My study isn’t realism; it’s more pictorial and impressionistic, with cheerful and serene scenes. What also motivates me is the vastness of black and white photographs, which are great and beautiful in themselves but may be rediscovered via the process of colorization.”
#12 War Time Beach On An English Coast, 1941
#13 Rainy Day In Pittsburgh, By John Vachon, June 1941
“My advice would be to observe reality, the light, the reflections, the effects and interaction of the colors in real life, to collect old color photos from the past and use them as references, but also open your eyes to the painters who have already done this work and transposed it in their paintings,” Sébastien says.
#14 Along The California Highway Us99, 1937. By Dorothea Lange
#15 Saturday Afternoon In Florence, Alabama, June 1942. By Arthur Rothstein
Before picking what to colorize, Sébastien explains what he searches for in a photo: “I’m looking for a narrative to tell, like a scene from a movie, as well as a strong composition and, most importantly, a good definition, since the greater the definition, the more beautiful the colorization.”
#16 Bar At Central Park In New York By Marjory Collins, 1942
#17 Anonymous, France, 1967
“I came from the French countryside near Chartres, completed art studies in Orléans, then traveled to Milan and stayed there for seven years,” the artist explains. There, I met my future wife, and we relocated to Paris. I’m now the mother of two girls. I’ve worked as an architect’s illustrator, a fashion illustrator’s assistant, and now as a picture retoucher. I’d be thrilled if colorization could be my primary pastime!”
#18 O’reilly Bar, New York, By Marjory Collins. 1942
#19 Washington In 1935
“Recently, I worked on 20 colorizations for a Vuitton book called ‘Extraordinary Voyages,’ as well as 9 pictures for Oppo and Getty Images for a Wimbledon collaboration. I’ve already done four shows, the most notable of which was in Dunkirk, where 40 colorizations were displayed. The project involved colorizing pictures taken by Adeline Debaene-Kiscoms, a woman photographer who documented her hometown of Dunkirk and its environs during the German occupation during WWII.”
#20 Marilyn Monroe Resting On The Set Of The Misfits, By Eve Arnold, 1960
#21 Young Actresses Having A Sun Bath For A Film Promotion During The Cannes Film Festival, 1955
#22 American Soldier Return Home After Worldwar 1, 1919
#23 Spectators At A Race In Worthington, Maryland, By Marion Post Wolcott. 1941
#24 Family Picnic Along The Cane River Near Natchitoches, Louisiana, By Marion Post Wolcott, 4th July 1940
#25 Bergman, Hemphrey Bogart And Michael Curtis On The Set Of “Casablanca” 1939
#26 Union Station, Chicago By Jack Delano, 1943
#27 Texas, 1939
#28 Glen Echo Park, Montgomery County, Maryland, April 1943
#29 Waiting For The Bus, 1943
#30 French Soldiers On Leave In Paris, Gare de l’Est, 1916
Originally published on the boredpanda
