Thursday 31 October 2013

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson, the first American president to be impeached, though he was acquitted in the Senate by one vote.

Andrew Johnson

Original B&W photo.

Ambrose Burnside

Ambrose_Burnside_
Ambrose Burnside, seen here around 1880, was, by his own frequent admission, an indifferent military commander, at best, and his successes in the American Civil War were matched by his defeats.
His main legacy is the name given to the spectacular whiskers he sported, burnsides, at first, then sideburns. The syllables were transposed, it is sometimes claimed, as a reference to his tactical ineptitude, as he supposedly didn't know which way he was supposed to send his troops, but it is more likely that his name had been largely forgotten, and the word just evolved to make some kind of sense, as the "side" part clearly referred to the position of the whiskers on the head, especially when fashions changed and the moustache was dispensed with. The word evolved further, becoming sideboard, with "board" simply meaning "border" or "edge".

Ambrose_Burnside_
Original B&W photo.

 

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore_Roosevelt_2circa_1902Theodore Roosevelt, probably in 1902, the year he became the first president to be seen riding in an automobile in public.

Theodore_Roosevelt_circa_1902
Original B&W photo.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Greta Garbo

greta-garbo

Greta Garbo, around the time of her 1931 film "Mata Hari".

mata-hari-greta-garbo-portrait-everett
Original B&W photo.

Tom Baker

tom_baker_as_young_man3
Tom Baker aged 22, just prior to joining the army for National Service.

tom_baker_as_young_manOriginal B&W photo.

Jon Pertwee

pertwee
Jon Pertwee in 1955. At this time, he was known mainly as a radio actor, although he had already appeared in several films. It would be another 15 years before he would become a household name in television, as the third Doctor in Doctor Who.

pertwee
Original B&W photo.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Nazi Loot Recovered

A painting by the french impressionist Edouard Manet, titled Wintergarden, discovered in the vault at Merkers. 42545
US soldiers with a painting by the French Impressionist Edouard Manet, titled "Wintergarden", discovered in the vault at Merkers.

A painting by the french impressionist Edouard Manet, titled Wintergarden, discovered in the vault at Merkers. 42545
Original B&W photo.

EDOUARD MANET-XX-In the wintergarden
Colour reference for the painting.

Monday 28 October 2013

Sunday 27 October 2013

Ken Dodd

Ken Dodd 1963
Ken Dodd, in November 1963.

Ken Dodd 1963
Original B&W photo.

Oklahoma Charlie

Arvin,_Kern_County,_California._Portrait_of_Oklahoma_Charlie._A_single_man_now_living_in_California._._._._-_NARA_-_521656
The Wikimedia caption for this photo reads: "Arvin, Kern County, California. Portrait of Oklahoma Charlie. A single man now living in California., shacktown. He is first in line for his relief check. He receives $5.88 every two weeks. He pays $3 a month rent." The date given is 11 April 1940.
I did this one for a competition, of sorts, on the Colourise History Facebook page. There were no declared winners or losers, we just did the best we could, and got ideas from the other versions. For example, I originally made the shirt blue, but found out from John Winner that red was a common colour for denim shirts, so changed it accordingly.

Arvin,_Kern_County,_California._Portrait_of_Oklahoma_Charlie._A_single_man_now_living_in_California._._._._-_NARA_-_521656
Original B&W photo.

Alexander Fleming

Alexander-Fleming1
Portrait of bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, 1951.

Alexander-Fleming1
Original B&W photo.

John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier

John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier  June 27, 1953.
John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier on June 27, 1953, just three days after their engagement.

John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier  June 27, 1953.
Original B&W photo.

Saturday 26 October 2013

Mae West

Mae_West,
Mae West in the 1930s.

1930's Mae West a mermaid in fur
Original B&W photo.

Marion Davies

marion-davies-3Marion Davies, seen here in 1930, was primarily a comic actress but, when her lover, William Randolph Hearst, took over the management of her career, he pressured her into more serious roles, for which she was unsuited. Her career suffered and she retired from acting in 1937.

marion-davies-1930
Original B&W photo.

Roger Delgado

Roger Delgado 1962
Roger Delgado, better known for his later portrayal of the first incarnation of the Master in Doctor Who, in a 1962 episode of the TV series "The Saint".

Roger Delgado 1962
Original B&W photo.

Friday 25 October 2013

Peggy Shannon

Billy Dove
Peggy Shannon was an actress who appeared on the stage and screen of the 1920s and 1930s. This photo is from her time with the Ziegfeld Follies Revue,before her movie career started in 1927. Billy Dove
Original B&W photo.

Thursday 24 October 2013

Brian Blessed

Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed as PC "Fancy" Smith in the BBC television series Z-Cars, a character he played from 1962 to 1965.

Brian Blessed
Original B&W photo.

Kirk Alyn

Superman (Kirk Alyn)Kirk Alyn in a publicity shot for the 1948 movie serial "Superman", in the man of steel's first screen appearance.

Superman (Kirk Alyn)
Original B&W photo.

John Davis

John_Davis_daguerreotype_by_Mathew_Brady_1849
This particular John Davis was an American lawyer, businessman and politician from Massachusetts. At the time of this Mathew Brady photo, 1849, he was serving his second term as Senator, having also  been in the House of Representatives, and Governor of Massachusetts.

He was known as "Honest John" Davis, because of his reputation for personal integrity but, as far as I can tell, he wasn't a particularly successful politician, despite his many years in various offices.

.

John_Davis_daguerreotype_by_Mathew_Brady_1849

Original daguerreotype.

 

George Bush

George-Bush 1844
Distantly related to the U S Presidents of the same name, this George Bush (1796-1859) was a prominent biblical scholar and preacher. He was also a committed advocate for the immediate abolition of slavery, though he didn't live to see that happen. He is pictured here in 1844.

George-Bush 1844
Original daguerreotype.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Rasputin

Grigori Efimovich Rasputin
Grigori Efimovich Rasputin. Date unknown, but probably about 1915.

Grigori Efimovich Rasputin
Original B&W photo.

Theda Bara

Theda Bara in 1917 movie Cleopatra
Theda Bara, in a publicity still for the 1917 movie "Cleopatra", in which she played the title role.

Theda Bara in 1917 movie Cleopatra
Original B&W photo.

Mick Jagger

MickJagger
Mick Jagger, in England in 1964, enjoying a cuppa and a cigarette.

MickJagger
Original B&W photo.