The past just got a whole lot more colourful: Painstaking touch-up of world’s most famous black and white pictures


They say some things are be better off left in the past.

But Swedish artist Sanna Dullaway clearly doesn't agree with that concept as she has transformed some of the most famous black and white pictures ever captured into high resolution colour versions.

While purists may disagree with the modernisation of such historic pictures such as the celebrations that marked VJ (Victory in Japan) day, images of devastation from Pearl Harbour and the shocking shot of a Viet Cong prisoner being shot in the head by an army general (demonstrating the brutality of the Vietnam War), the colour pictures do appear to re-emphasise the scene they are portraying.

Little is known about the creator of these iconic images, but it is thought she is hoping to sell her work on the internet - and there is sure to be some firm interest.

She writes on her Flickr site: 'Hi. I take coloured photographs. If I stumble upon colourless photographs I colour them.'

It couldn't be simpler right? Yet the results are truly stunning.

VJ DAY CELEBRATION

On August 15, 1945, there were worldwide celebrations after Japan finally surrendered to the Allies to end World War II.

The day was named Victory in Japan Day, and was marked by two-day holidays in the U.K., the U.S. and Australia.

U.S. President Harry S Truman broke the news at a press conference at the White House and joyfully announced that the Japanese Government had agreed to comply in full with the Potsdam declaration which demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan.

Party time: A sailor kisses a nurse in Times Square, New York City in a shot that went on to become one of the most famous celebration shots from VJ Day (Original picture by by Alfred Eisenstaedt, August 14, 1945)

The original photograph was published a week later in Life magazine among others that similarly depicted the delight at the announcement of the end of WWII.

Dullaway's addition of colour seem to bring out the smiles much more in the background crowd, and arguably heighten the passion shown by the amorous sailor.

Whether rumour that the nurse went on to slap the U.S. serviceman are to be believed or not, Dallaway has certainly brought to life one of the most momentous days in history.

VIETNAM EXECUTION

If there was one picture that could portray the brutality of the Vietnam War, it would be of some harsh degree of violence.

And that's exactly what American photographer Eddie Adams did when he captured the moment a Viet Cong prisoner was shot in the head at point blank range.

The picture went on to become a symbol of the brutality and viciousness of the war, and went worldwide.

Shocking: No picture demonstrated the brutality of the Vietnam War than this shot of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting Viet Cong Nguyen Van Lem in the head (Picture taken by Eddie Adams on February 1, 1968)

The shot of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting dead Viet Cong Nguyen Van Lem from point blank range was also broadcast around the world by NBC.

What makes the shot remarkable is that it was taken a split second after the trigger was pulled, and so marks the instant of death. Dullaway's addition of colour emphasises the anguish and pain on Van Lem, and just as she brings romantic scenes to life, colour seems to sharpen acts of violence.

THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOUR

The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour nearly three years into World War II became so iconic they made a film out of it.

But far from discussing the Oscar-winning film of 2001, we need to assess whether Dullaway's 'colourisation' of the famous shot as shown below adds even more the the scene portrayed.

Disaster: Coloured flames appear to bring the iconic shot of the bombing of Pearl Harbour to life, as does the thick, sooty black smoke

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese bombing on the Pacific island of Oahu killed more than 2,400 Americans, with 1,178 more injured.

The aims for the devastating attack were for the U.S. Pacific military fleet to be significantly weakened - and that proved to be the case with Japan winning every major battle until June, 1942.

They did, however, go on to lose badly.

THE BURNING MONK

The horrific image of 'The Burning Monk' will certainly be one that is difficult to dislodge from the memory.

In protest at the Vietnamese President's anti-Buddhist laws back in 1963, Thic Quang Duc decided to show his unhappiness in a shocking display.

At an intersection in Saigon, Duc separated himself from a group of around 350 marching Monks, sat on a cushion in the road while another religious follower doused him in gasoline.

Duc then lit a match, and the rest is history.

Disturbing: The flames are all the more real in Dallaway's colour version of 'The Burning Monk' who was protesting against the Vietnamese President's pro-Catholic doctine (Original picture by Malcolm Browne, 1968)

The Monk was carried from the scene by his compatriots, in a coffin, although it was said not all his limbs could be fitted in.

He was then taken to Xa Loi Pagoda in central Saigon where his body was fully cremated. It is said that his heart did not burn and is considered holy and still preserved to this day.



THE AMERICAN DREAM

The American Dream told how riches and successes could be achieved with a bit of hard work and graft.

Yet Margaret Bourke-White's famous shot below, taken in 1937, tells a very different story - that this 'dream' was only open to those who were white and not poor to begin with.

Ironic: Bourke-White's contentious shot taken at a Bread Line during the Louisville flood, Kentucky 1937, paints the picture that the American Dream was perhaps somewhat limited to who could achieve it (Original picture by Margaret Bourke-White, 1937)

Pictured in the background poster is an all-white, presumably middle class American family, who are perhaps enjoying the fruits of the American Dream.

Yet those queuing for bread after the Louisville floods could not be further from that, and certainly not feeling the 'World's Highest Standard of Living'.



Arguably Bourke-White's greatest ever picture taken, it tells of the social injustices facing black Americans at that time, and the irony of the shot is that the car driven by the white family appears as though it is going to plow through the dozen or so assembled black people.

Dullaway's addition of colour here helps the grim, sad and anguished faces of the starving queue stand out a lot more, as well as excellently contrasting to the smiling, happy-go-lucky atmosphere in the billboard scene.

Even the dog is smiling!



DOROTHY COUNTS - BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS

Dorothy Counts became one of the first black students to be accepted into the previously all-white Harding High School, in Charlotte, U.S..

Upon enrolling to start her journey she was mocked, spat on, racially abused and thrown rocks at.

In other states in the country, violence began to erupt as black people began to realise that they had to stand up for their civil rights.

Prejudice: Dorothy Counts is sneered at by a wholly-white audience as she enrolls to start her schooling at Harding High School (Original picture by Don Sturkey, September 4, 1957)

Historically, the best schools in the U.S. accepted those of a high intelligence - unless you were black.

Counts braved the walk through the school grounds in the face of disgusting abuse, and took her seat on enrolment day.

The actions of individuals such as Counts helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, and to this day she is seen as iconic in that she stood up, all alone, for who she was and what she stood for.

The sneering face directly behind the brave American girl holds much more prominence with added colour. The squinted eyes are much more recognisable and mocking smile emphasis the opposition Counts faced when she was simply trying to better herself.

THE BIKINI ATOLL

Many people's idea of luxury is surrounded by palm trees, sand and the sea.

Yet you wouldn't have called Bikini Atoll your dream destination in the late 1940s after it became a nuclear testing site for the U.S. following its capture from the Japanese in February 1944.

Those living on the Island were shipped to other Marshall Islands, from pillar to post, as the U.S. set out its blueprint for weapons testing.

Picture this: It would be difficult to argue that Dallaway's addition of colour doesn't contrast paradise to nightmare much better with this shot of an Atom Bomb being tested (Photograph by U.S. Navy, exact date unknown)

The inhabitants have still not re-settled back to the island, but Bikini Atoll is becoming a popular tourist destination.

Divers can explore sunken ships that were destroyed as part of the tests, including the Japanese battleship Nagota, which was sunk in the battle of 1944.

If you think of paradise contrasted with disaster, the picture above is perfect. Dullaway's colour version helps this contrast even more.

Perfect blue water mixed with horrible grey smoke and soot, whilst a sandy beach remains untouched.

Half-way to paradise at least!

A HARVEST OF DEATH

A field of dead bodies is unlikely to be warmed to be it in black and white or colour.

But Dullaway's addition of colour into Timoth H O'Sullivan's morbid shot from the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War, 1863, proves an excellent alternative.

The blinding sunlight is noticeable, often associated with new life, yet the contrast is obvious - the picture is all about death and the sacrifices the Federal soldiers made.

Morbid: Green, green grass, blinding sunlight - yet little signs of life in this shot from the battle of Gettysburg (Original picture taken by Timothy H O'Sullivan, 1863)

What the picture is said to show in the first instance, is that for the northern public, dying in battle often lacked the gallantry in other such paintings and portraits.

At Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 1, 2 and 3, more men fought and died than in any other battle in American history.

Confederate causalities in dead, wounded and missing were 28,000 out of 75,000. Union casualties were 23,000 out of 88,000.

MAURETANIA - GIANT OF THE SEAS

RMS Mauretania was a goliath of its time.

Designed by Leonard Peskett and built by Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson in the early part of the nineteenth century, it was described as 'the floating palace' and to this day is held up as one of the major successes to have come out of Tyneside.

Pride: It would be interesting to see if the skills of those involved with the design and construction of the Mauretania could be mirrored in today's ship builders (Original picture and date taken unknown)

The Cunard ocean liner made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York on the November 16, 1907, and set an eastbound record on the return leg of that trip.



This was the first of eight eastbound records Mauretania would set, the last coming in 1924.

She then switched to cruises before being scrapped in 1935.

A MIGRANT MOTHER

Dorothea Lange's shot of a migrant mother became one of the symbols of the Great Depression in the U.S. between 1929-39.

Taken at a camp for seasonal agricultural workers, the picture effectively demonstrates to the viewer the struggles the mother will be suffering from - no income, lack of food and children to care for.

The mother had seven children to look after and was pictured on the brink of starvation.

Struggle: Dorothea Lange felt drawn to the migrant mother in order to highlight the severity of the Great Depression in the U.S. (Original picture taken by Dorothea Lange, 1936)

The shabby clothes are emphasised much more with a touch of colour, as is the dirtiness of the people in the shot, in particular the children.

The holes in the children's clothing also become a lot more apparent, their black voids standing out against the colour background.

The pictures taken by Lange at the camp pushed the government to rush out extra food supplies.

The American Dream was certainly not prevalent here - instead social climbing had been replaced by the basics - a desperate attempt to survive with the agricultural economy in disarray.

AND A SELECTION OF SOME RECOGNISABLE FACES...

Striking: From top; Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and Theodore Roosevelt respective features stand out a lot more with colour

Anne Frank