This topic reminds me of a story that David McCullough mentioned in some interview about seeing Harry Truman in person for the first time as he was coming out of a Brooklyn hotel in the 1950s and being startled at seeing someone in color that he had previously become familiar with only in black and white newspaper photos and newsreels.

Similarly, in the early 1970s (when most newspapers were in black and white), I remember being startled at how ruddy cheeked some local politicos (e.g., my Congressman) looked at local community appearances. At first I thought maybe they'd had a few drinks, but then I thought it was more likely I was unaccustomed to seeing them in color.

I think the "effect" was more startling with male celebrities as 1) they didn't have pancake makeup to take away the ruddiness and 2) I think the "mind" expects female "celebrities" in personal appearances to be wearing colorful lipstick, etc. (It would be more of a "shock" to see a female celebrity without some bits of color -- especially lipstick -- on her face.)

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Posted by: Benjamin Hemric on October 29, 2005 9:18 PM

Great photos. Thanks for the link. There is something in the tones that seems a touch more muted and less garish than today's color photos, but not in an unrealistic way. In fact they seem more realistic if anything, like today's photos are almost too vivid. You are right that the color brings a startling immediacy and "nowness" to the period. But those are beautifully composed and shot photos even apart from the color.

Posted by: MQ on October 30, 2005 6:10 PM

http://citycomfortsblog.typepad.com/cities/2004/01/the_past_was_in.html

Posted by: David Sucher on October 31, 2005 4:53 AM






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