Isidore in Living Color

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Last week I showed you how Val Erde at Colouring the Past was able to take Celia Goodstein Scheshko’s photo and add color.

This week I asked her to take Isidore Scheshko’s U.S. Army photograph and do the same thing. Note that these photos have the same background and might have been taken in preparation for their wedding in 1919.

Here is the photograph I gave Val to work on. Note that it is the best I had, but not an original photo.

Now see what Val did with it!

Any idea what that X on his sleeve means?

Here are Celia’s photos once again. Note that the background and floor are the same, but the more Val worked with the background the more she learned about it. These interpretations are different, although similar.

The original image:

And here is the photo after Val’s work on it.

 

The amount of research, knowledge, and artistry that Val puts into the photographs is remarkable.

Don’t tell the gardener about these. I’m ordering prints for his birthday!

39 thoughts on “Isidore in Living Color”

    • Good catch, Eileen! Val said that in the Celia photo it looked like a lake, but when she started working on Isidore’s portrait, she saw that it was a path. She asked if I wanted her to do them the same or do “follow the path” this time. I asked her do what she thought best, and I think the background of Isidore’s is really gorgeous. But in Celia’s it is probably better it’s not as colorful so as not to distract from those boots! 🙂

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  2. These are amazing. Is it very expensive to have her do this? And are you suggesting that the gardener doesn’t read your blog? (My husband is no better—only if I say, “You will find this one interesting” does he bother to read the posts!)

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    • Thanks so much, Jose. Now that you gave me that idea I’ve looked up other sources and I see there are a bazillion crossed weapons like that! I wish we could see a little more clearly what it is. But maybe a search of his military records would reveal it. Hmm.

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  6. I got a kick out of your dialog with Amy over husbands reading your blogs, I must chime in, neither does mine, oh I have showed him once or twice, always hint of interest in what I am doing but thats as far as it goes. I gasped seeing Isidore’s colored photo. OMG the coat, everything just popped and was perfect. Val does amazing work. Love the gift idea too. PS I am watching the Alchemist too – I love the old period pieces to see the the clothing and furnishings, the shows a little to gorey for me but I am hooked.

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    • Gory for sure and what happened to Mary was stupid IMO. But I love the whole period atmosphere (although would not wanted to have lived in that period) and that Beauty and the Beast guy is a dead ringer for Hugh Jackman ;).
      I’m glad to hear you and Amy both say that about your husband’s. Mine is not into technology and doesn’t use the computer except for what he has to. He uses a flip phone.

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  7. Thanks for posting these and linking to my blog, Luanne. 🙂

    Oh and my hubby’s the same… he never reads the blog unless I draw his attention to something and even then it’s just a brief glance! That said, he knows it exists and often gives his friends the link to it… or rather to the home page (website). Not sure if he’s quite figured out how to find the blog!

    Good idea for a birthday present. Years ago I coloured a favourite 1950s photo of my parents and had it printed and can see it from my desk. An alternative, if you have a good printer, is to buy some good archive-quality paper and print them yourself on the highest print quality. I’m addicted to Epson Matt, it has a lovely velvet-like surface and brings out the colours beautifully.

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    • It is certainly making me feel better to know that other people’s spouses are not reading their blogs! He tells people about them, but that’s where it stands. In fact, he doesn’t read any of my writing until it comes out in book form. It must be related to the low tech thing. He likes his flip phone and our landline and the TV remote and that’s about it for technology!
      I might try the printing myself, but I was trying to avoid it because I use my toner until it’s almost monochromatic haha. I’d have to put in all new toner. Do you need special toner for photos or not? So it’s the paper that gives it that surface?
      Thanks so much for everything, Val!

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      • Yeah, mine’s (the husband, not the printer) fine with some technology and not others. He’s great with musical equipment but the computer just seems to bewilder him. 🙂

        I’ve always used whatever printer I’ve had, for photos. The main thing is to check that the colour you see when you print what’s on your monitor is similar to what you have on the monitor. It’s possible to calibrate a printer and monitor for that, but it’s a bit of a pain…

        The paper makes more difference than the inks. Anyway, just try a print on a normal colour photo and see how it comes out, then you’ll have an idea of how one of my colourings will come out. (Do it ahead of time though in case it doesn’t work out!)

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      • LOL!
        OK, if the ones that are coming in the mail didn’t turn out, I will try this. Actually, I will probably try it anyway when I put in new toner. I’ll get the paper!

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  8. If I had the time, I’d spend all of it reading blogs like yours. Thank you very much for liking my post… and thereby dropping the breadcrumbs back to your site. This is fantastic, and I LOVE the coloured photos. I have hundreds, perhaps thousands, of old B&W photos tucked away that I will seriously consider getting coloured. I think my sister would cry (there’s a wonderful one of our dad and his brother in their brand new army uniforms, circa 1944).

    Oh, and my husband doesn’t read my blog either. C’est la vie!

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  9. These are so cool. It’s amazing how not just the details, but the colors also make the backgrounds look so different. To me, it looks like Celia is posing indoors in front of a backdrop/painting (which obviously she is 🙂 ), but Isadore’s almost looks like it is a painting, and he is standing outside.

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    • When Val did Isidore’s she could see more clearly that it was a path behind, rather than a lake, so I gave her free reign to do what she wanted with it. I think it’s gorgeous! Go see what she posted on her blog today! So beautiful!

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  10. These photo transformations are absolutely amazing, Luanne! I’m going to have to mark Val’s website and check it out. I’ve got some pictures of my parents that I would love to have restored/colored!
    Reading through the comments about husbands and blogs certainly made me feel better! I used to think it was just me and my blog! LOL! Have a blessed Easter! 😀 ❤

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