Abraham Lincoln
Photography changed the way people see the world, as well as the way history is remembered.
In 1839, the first commercially available photographic processthe daguerreotypewas released.
UK-based photo restorer and coloristJames Berridgemade it his mission to colorize these monochromatic images.
Abraham Lincoln
His ambitious quest brings American presidential history to life in a new, approachable way.
Berridge’s project began when he received a request to restore and enhance an image of Abraham Lincoln.
Originally trained in video post-production, the colorist had restored historical photographs for several years.
In total, he completed 26 photographs in over 100 hours of Photoshop manipulation.
Among the presidents, Andrew Jackson was a particularly difficult restoration project.
By contrast, the colorized portrait of Theodore Roosevelt drew upon a largely intact image.
William Howard Taft
Interestingly, one restoration may or may not even be of a president.
To be safe, Berridge included him in hisproject.
Berridge describes his colorization process as time-consuming but meditative.
Theodore Roosevelt
Using public domain scans of photographic prints or negatives, he begins by cleaning up each image.
He erases dust specks and scratches to restore clarity by using the healing brush tool of Photoshop.
Contrast is also adjusted to draw out the small details which make each president lifelike.
John Quincy Adams
Lastly, using the mask feature, Berridge adds color to the image.
All items require base tones, mid-tones, and shadows.
Skin tones require casts and undertones.
James Buchanan
Colorization is an art, and curious viewers can watch the hypnotic process in Berridge’sYouTube videos.
The good, the bad, and the uglythe American presidents come alive in color.
My Modern Met was fortunate enough to speak with James Berridge about his stunningly colorized presidential portraits.
William McKinley
Scroll down for our exclusive interview.
How did you first take an interest in this bang out of work?
Theodore Roosevelt
John Quincy Adams
What sort of historical research predates working on an image?
Andrew Jackson
Well, I start with researching to see if primary sources of color information still exist.
I therefore look for objects from the photographs which still survive into the modern era.
Museums archives are invaluable for referencing items such as military uniforms and historical packaging.
Ulysses S. Grant
I then dive into secondary sources such as paintings, diaries, and newspaper reports from the time.
It was these types of methods I usually used for establishing the presidential eye colors and skin tones.
So youll sometimes find, quite literally, colorful descriptions of what the press were reporting.
Calvin Coolidge
So its always important to look for multiple sources when possible.
James Buchanan
What is the most challenging aspect of colorizing a black and white photograph?
How was this process different from a standard restoration?
The damaged photograph of Andrew Jackson(left), and an etching made from the image which was also used to create the colorized and restored portrait.
Ulysses S. Grant
Calvin Coolidge
Hand-tinted or hand-colored photographs were popular in the late 19th century.
How do you see your modern digital methods in relation to historical colorization?
Did you discover any hand-tinted images of the presidents?
Martin Van Buren
Im always in awe of what people were able to do via hand-tinted colorizations during that period.
Its nice to feel that I and others doing digital colorization are somewhat reviving a lost art form.
Whether a controversial figure or a popular hero, photographs in color can bring the past to life.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Can you elaborate on the historical value which you see in projects of image colorization?
Movies have always done a fantastic job of this, as do things like historical re-enactments.
A colorization allows the audience to look at a historical figure as they may have looked during their lifetime.
You want to know who is in the picture and why theyre considered important enough to be worth coloring?
And in my experience that really isnt true.
Rutherford B. Hayes
