Interwar Years

In the decades before the invention of colour photography, studio portraits were often hand-coloured. The photograph was only lightly exposed on the paper, and then painted over, usually with watercolour paints. These ‘painterly photographs’ are typical of the 1920s through to the 1940s. Also popular were photos stretched over domed mounts, which often crack badly over time.

Examples of our photo restoration work

Hover your mouse or swipe over the image to compare before and after.

Hand coloured photo restoration beforeHand coloured photo restoration after