I'm Stuart Humphryes (known online as BabelColour). I clean, repair, enhance and transform early colour photography.
BabelColour
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Travel back in time to the Central American country of Guatemala 99 years ago, with this stunningly vibrant autochrome of a lady in national dress, photographed in colour by Jacob J. Gayer in 1926.
It is original colour (not colourised)
Do any of you also have accounts on Threads or X or Facebook or Instagram? I'm curous how many of you follow me on any of those?
Engagement on here is so low (I'm lucky if I reach 200 of you) I'm thinking of ceasing my blusky posts. But do follow me on other platforms if you've enjoyed the work! ♥️
The orange zing of 1910: I have cleaned-up this striking autochrome study by Thomas Shields Clarke, taken at his home Fernbrook in Lenox, Massachusetts, 115 years ago. It is original colour, not colourised.
A comparison to demonstrate how I retrieve weak colour information from a faded autochrome: I never paint on new colour to digitally colourise a photo, I only ever work with & boost the colour information in the original plate. This photo shows WWI French war graves at Laffaux on Moday 14th May 1917
No, this isn't an Ai image of Ukraine's President Zelensky as Emperor Nero - it's is a genuine autochrome of cosplayers recreating a Classical vignette in Belgium in 1912, taken in colour by Alfonse van Besten 113 years ago. I've cleaned-it up for you, but it is original colour, not colourised.
The bow of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic exploration ship 'The Endurance', photographed in colour shortly before it sank in November 1915. The man with the camera is crew photographer Frank Hurley.
I've cleaned & enhanced the shot, but it is an original colour paget plate and not colourised.
Taken exactly 97 years ago this month - in June 1928 - this beautiful autochrome study of a German garden in Baden is a wondrous riot of colour. I just love the 'twenties outfit with cloche hat and aqua marine scarf! It is all original colour, not colourised. 😍
I have cleaned-up this autochrome of a (possibly Cree) First Nation family, photographed in colour 111 years ago on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alberta. It was taken by the German photographer Hugo Viewegar in 1914. It is original colour, not colourised.
I have enhanced for you this lovely autochrome portrait of a young Hindu lady in the Indian city of Agra, photographed in colour 99 years ago by the visiting French photographer Jules Gervais Courtellemont. (It is original colour from 1926 and not colourised).
"Farmers at Rest" - this autochrome by the brothers Auguste & Louis Lumière was taken around 120 years ago. I have cleaned & enhanced this beautiful study of farmers, resting by their cottage in France. It is original colour taken between 1904-7, and is not colourised.
