Old Bacchus at Rockville Plantation
A quiet fishing scene photographed only weeks before South Carolina seceded from the Union.
Featured story · October 1860
A quiet moment before a country broke apart.
The same photograph. A deeper story. Through careful research and modern technology, we can see not just what happened, but how it might have looked.
Original
October 1860Color reconstruction
October 1860Color reconstruction
Osborn & Durbec / Library of Congress
Original
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Research
We study the time, place and details.
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We bring the scene to life based on historical evidence.
Featured stories
View all stories →Extraordinary moments. Richer understanding.
They Had Just Passed Through Ellis Island | 1905
Lewis Hine photographed an Italian immigrant family at the moment after arrival became departure into a new country.
Then & Now
Place-based visual history
Place-based visual history
The same ground, a different century
A forthcoming series pairing archival scenes with the places they became.
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Latest documentaries
More lives behind the photographs.
Why Franz Liszt Stopped Touring at 35
Liszt became an international star before recorded music. In 1847, at thirty-five, he left professional touring for a different musical life in composing and teaching. He did not stop playing.
Colorized by Colors of History
Sources and image credits
Photographs: Franz Hanfstaengl, 1858 / Wikimedia Commons; photographer unknown, 1885 / University of Trier via Wikimedia Commons; Nadar, 1886 / J. Paul Getty Museum, 84.XM.436.100, CC0. Film music: Liszt’s La Campanella, Romuald Greiss, piano, recorded 2000; performer’s public-domain release, excerpted, faded and mixed.
The episode cover is an editorial color interpretation; the original photograph is the historical evidence.
The Train That Fell Into Paris
Every passenger survived the Montparnasse crash of 1895. The only person killed was selling newspapers outside the station. This story follows the arrival that would not stop and the human life beyond the famous photograph.
Colorized by Colors of History
Sources and image credits
Historical photographs: attributed to Lévy & fils, photographer uncertain, and photographer unknown / Wikimedia Commons. Attribution uncertainty is preserved; color interpretations are not original color records.
The episode cover is an editorial color interpretation; the original photograph is the historical evidence.
Alice Paul: The Women Who Would Not Be Silent
A Harris & Ewing photograph of a National Woman’s Party picket line opens a story of protest, imprisonment and the struggle for women’s suffrage. The film also recognizes that the Nineteenth Amendment did not end racial exclusion from voting.
Colorized by Colors of History
Sources and image credits
Original photograph: Harris & Ewing / Library of Congress, Women of Protest collection, mnwp000219, catalog date [October 20, 1917]. Collection rights statement applies; no blanket permission grant is claimed.
The episode cover is an editorial color interpretation; the original photograph is the historical evidence.