The Library of Congress just received a photograph of Harriet Tubman. Since her biopic is coming out, it’s appearing in a few places on the internet. Since it comes with no restrictions and the Library provides a large TIFF download (seriously large, 160 megs) I had to grab it so I could stare into her eyes. Colorizing things like this is fun. I’ll have to give it a try with Afinity, too. Please, download the original so you can look into those eyes at almost life size.
I didn’t spend as much time as I could’ve researching appropriate colors, but the wall covering is from the period. I feel her over my shoulder, telling me that she’d never wear those colors, and the shirt was a beautiful union blue. Let’s go across the street for a glass of wine and we’ll talk about it, I’d respond.
Great share and colorizing of H.T. It is always curious to wonder what colors people were wearing in B&W photos.
Thanks Kim. It’s a lot of fun, and finding out what colors were possible at the time is part of it. After doing the picture, I found the trailer to the movie. It includes a scene showing Harriet sitting for a photograph. It appears to be this photograph that’s being represented, and the film designers chose to make her blouse charcoal gray. Maybe it actually was, but I like speculating. My first choice had been green- it was an easily produced color at the time using copper dyes.