History isn’t in black-and-white

I recently stumbled across some amazing photos – I just had to share them! The source post isn’t exactly new (2010), but as I’ve just found them, I’m hoping they might be new to some of you as well.

These are colour photographs taken in 1909-1912 Russia. I’ve provided two examples below and you’ll have to follow the jump to the original post, where there are a great selection of scenes. The photographer used a specialized camera – by capturing three black and white images in quick succession, but with red, green and blue filters, he was able to combine them for relatively true colour photographs.

The biggest problem for me was overcoming the apparently ingrained mental block in my mind that the past functions, at least in photographs and films, in black-and-white. These photographs really hit home the idea that history is not shades of grey, but instead vivid and colourful.

Prokudin-Gorskii rides along on a handcar outside Petrozavodsk on the Murmansk railway along Lake Onega near Petrozavodsk in 1910. (Prokudin-Gorskii Collection/LOC)

Pinkhus Karlinskii, eighty-four years old with sixty-six years of service. Supervisor of Chernigov floodgate, part of the Mariinskii Canal system. Photo taken in 1909. (Prokudin-Gorskii Collection/LOC)

For more, visit here.

This Week in Canadian History (Jan 23-29)

Wow! Sorry about the extended absence all – after a lovely holidays and some adjusting to my new teaching gig, I’m back for more blogging! Let’s start off again with an old faithful – This Week in Canadian History. Jan 23, 1995 – After a number of home videos and evidence came to light of

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Toronto’s Built & Unbuilt Heritage

Last night I again found myself across the city at Fort York National Historic Site to attend another session in their “Parler Fort Speaker Series.” You may remember a previous post I did from another event – The Fenian Threat & Contribution to Canadian Identity. Last night’s session featured John Bentley Mays, author of Emerald City:

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This Week in Canadian History (Dec 12-18)

Dec 12, 1942 – 99 civilians and military personnel died and over 100 were injured in a arson attack on the Knights of Columbus Hall in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The hall broke several fire codes at the time, with doors that opened inwards and obstructed paths to and from those faulty doors. The fire is

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This Week in Canadian History (Nov 28-Dec 4)

Nov 28, 1812 – The Battle of Frenchman’s Creek during the War of 1812. American forces under General Alexander Smyth cross the Niagara River with aims of seizing the British battery and destroying a bridge that connected Fort Erie to Chippawa. Although the attack on the battery was initially successful, British, Canadian and Aboriginal forces

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The Great War: From Memory to History

For the next 3 days I’ll be in London, Ontario, attending The Great War: From Memory to History. Last year saw the death of John Babcock (the last known surviving Canadian veteran of the First World War), and within a few years, we will lose even those who were children during the Great War. This

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Book Launch: Peter Vronsky’s Ridgeway (Toronto)

I heard from the lovely people at Penguin yesterday and they’re having a Toronto-area book launch for Peter Vronsky’s book about Ridegway – the same book that was featured at Parler Fort and what I wrote my blog post on! Click the image above to view the invite larger. Anyone in the Toronto area who

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Follow Friday: My Top 50 Twitter Accounts for Historians

There was a great post that’s been circulating recently called “The 70 Best Twitter Feeds for History Majors.” It’s not necessarily what my list would be, though. Below please find My Top 50 Twitter Accounts for Historians. If you have suggestions for additions to my list, let me know! Once you’re done following this list,

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The Fenian Threat & Contribution to Canadian Identity

Last night I found myself across the city at Fort York National Historic Site to attend a session in their “Parler Fort Speaker Series” (a delightful twist of words, I have to say.) This is my first time attending and I’m glad I did — and devastated I’ve missed so many. For those who know

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TED Talk: Big History & Collective Learning

You’ll think twice about complaining about having to teach 100 years of History in only a semester. David Christian uses 18 minutes to explore 13.7 Billion years of History and the lessons associated with it. Most importantly, that human survival and progress is dependent on the crucial element of collective learning.

“What big history can do is show us the nature of our complexity and fragility and the dangers that face us, but it can also show us our power with collective learning.”

For more, bighistoryproject.com