Mads Madsen is 25 years old and lives in Denmark where he's pursuing a Master's degree in the Classics (ancient Greece and Rome). However, his fascination with history doesn't end there.

Mads also colorizes old photos. Through the use of Photoshop, he meticulously injects life into black and white stills, allowing us to immerse ourselves into moments that have been fading away. There's just something raw about looking at a person and seeing the color of their eyes. You don't get that with a monochromic image.

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#1

Eric Arthur Blair, Better Known By His Pen Name George Orwell, Was An English Novelist, Essayist, Journalist, And Critic

Colorized old photo of a man in a vintage coat and tie, demonstrating the artist colorizes 40 old photos with vivid detail.

His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism.
Orwell wrote literary criticism, poetry, fiction, and polemical journalism. He is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). His non-fiction works, including The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), documenting his experience of working class life in the north of England, and Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, are widely acclaimed, as are his essays on politics, literature, language, and culture. In 2008, The Times ranked him second on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Orwell's work continues to influence popular and political culture, and the term Orwellian – descriptive of totalitarian or authoritarian social practices – has entered the language together with many of his neologisms, including Big Brother, Thought Police, Room 101, memory hole, newspeak, doublethink, proles, unperson, and thoughtcrime.

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And it's all because of the Internet. "I was browsing Reddit one day and came across some old colorized photographs," Madsen told Bored Panda. "They were colorized by hand. This discovery led me to a more in-depth search, and I learned that it was actually done by an old lady. She had a website dedicated to hand-coloring photographs of all periods with oil. It just absolutely blew me away.

Mads had spent the next couple of days cataloging everything she had done into periods, personalities, eras, etc, and when he was done, he decided 'Hey, I can do this myself!'

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    #2

    Desmond Doss, Conscientious Objector And Medal Of Honor Recipient. He Was Given The Medal Of Honor For His Actions At Hawksaw Ridge, During The Battle Of Okinawa, Where He Carried 75 Wounded Men To Safety Under Heavy Enemy Fire

    Colorized portrait of a young soldier in uniform showcasing how artist colorizes old photos to change history perception.

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    The colorist has a very concrete way of choosing images for his projects. "I mostly pick [a photograph] after I decide whether or not the subject's eyes will look good," he said. "I've always had a fascination with beautiful eyes, and that's how I pick most of my photographs. If you look through my gallery, you'll see that most of the eyes there are steely-blue or sky-blue, and they (hopefully) are framed beautifully by the surrounding color, contrasting with it really nicely. So that's the main criteria. That, and the overall quality [of the image]."

    #3

    Charlie Chaplin Without His Trademark Moustache In His Later Years, Working On A Movie Set

    Close-up colorized portrait of a serious man in a suit, showcasing artist colorizes old photos with historical impact.

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    But colorizing a photo is a long and hard work. Madsen said the most difficult part is those that overlap with other objects, like tree branches that stretch into the sky. "If I don't want the sky to look brown or the branches to look blue, I have to [work them by hand, individually.]"

    If photo colorization is something you'd like to try out yourself, Mads has a cool video tutorial on YouTube that's perfect for getting started.

    #4

    Father Christmas Wearing A Tin Helmet Walks Along Regent Street, London, With A Bag Full Of Presents - From Life Magazine, December 23, 1940

    Colorized old photo showing a man dressed as Santa Claus carrying a large sack on a busy historic city street.

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    #5

    Helen Keller Greeting Charlie Chaplin By Feeling His Features

    Colorized vintage photo of a young couple in early 1900s attire, showcasing artist colorizing old photos with historical impact.

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    #6

    Frederick Douglass, Talented Orator And Frontspokesman Of Abolition. Escaped Slavery, And Led A Freedom-Movement

    Colorized portrait of an elderly man with gray hair and beard, showcasing artist colorizing old photos to change history perception.

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    #7

    Sir David Attenborough, Born This Day In 1926, Seen Here Petting A Macaw Around 1950-51

    Man in vintage suit gently petting a colorized parrot in an old photo enhanced by artist colorizing history.

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    #8

    Native American Chief With Feathers, Unknown Date

    Native American man in traditional attire colorized by artist, showcasing vibrant details in old historical photo.

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    #9

    Amelia Earhart, Unknown Date

    Colorized image of a woman standing in front of an airplane, showcasing the artist colorizing old photos to change history perception.

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    #10

    Nikola Tesla, With Roger Boskovich's Book 'Theoria Philosophiae Naturalis', In Front Of The Spiral Coil Of His High-Frequency Transformer At East Houston St., New York

    Man in a gray suit reading a book seated in front of a large woven circular structure colorized from an old photo.

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    #11

    Two Girls And Their Snow Fort, Ca. 1910

    Two children dressed in vintage clothing playing outside a snow house in a colorized old photo by artist.

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    #12

    Sgt. Henry 'Black Death' Johnson Of The 369th

    Colorized historic photo of a soldier smiling, showcasing the artist’s work that changes the way we perceive history.

    'Harlem Hellfighters' poses wearing the Croix du Guerre, awarded for bravery in an outnumbered battle against German forces. He also received the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2015 - 12th of February 1919

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    #13

    Albert Einstein, Photographed Ca. 1948 By Yousuf Karsh

    Colorized photo of an elderly man with white hair and mustache, showing detailed wrinkles and thoughtful expression.

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    #14

    Alan Turing - A Computer Scientist, Philosopher, And Cryptologist Who Played A Crucial Role In Breaking The Nazis' Enigma Code - Seen Here In Happier Times. Unknown Date.

    Colorized portrait of a man in vintage attire showcasing the impact of artist colorizing old photos on historical perception.

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    #15

    Christmas Truce Of 1914 During The First World War

    Colorized old photo showing a group of soldiers in early 20th century uniforms, highlighting the artist colorizing history.

    German and British soldiers laid down their arms, and climbed out in to no man's land for an unofficial ceasefire during Christmas. Supposedly over 100,000 soldiers participated, gifts were exchanged, British soldiers cut the hair of German soldiers, officers swapped buttons and coats, privates exchanged candy - and the next day, the fighting resumed, and the carnage continued. it's worth noting that not all parts of the front celebrated this truce, some parts of the frontline only had small agreements of a minor ceasefire to recover bodies, while others sang songs from within their trenches.

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    #16

    Audrey Hepburn. Unknown Date

    Colorized portrait of a woman from old photos, showcasing the impact of artist colorizing on how we perceive history.

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    #17

    Paul Newman & Clint Eastwood

    Two men standing against a brick wall, artist colorizes old photos, enhancing historical black and white images.

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    #18

    Jim Henson, Creator Of The Muppets, Sitting With Ernie & Kermit The Frog

    Man with beard and sweater posing with colorized puppets Kermit the Frog and Ernie from old photos.

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    #19

    Einstein Laughing During A Dinner Party, Year Unknown

    Colorized old photo of a joyful elderly man in a suit, showcasing artist colorizes 40 old photos history transformation.

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    #20

    Marilyn Monroe After A Party. A Rare, Solemn Moment Of Quiet For The Otherwise Boisterous Personality

    Colorized portrait of a woman in a sequined dress, showcasing the artist colorizes 40 old photos to change history perception.

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    #21

    Brigadier General And Actor Jimmy Stewart. Participated In Over 20 Missions Over Nazi-Occupied Europe, And Even Flew A Bombing Run During The Vietnam War.

    Colorized photo of a young man making a playful gesture, showcasing artist colorizes old photos with vivid details.

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    #22

    Victor Hugo, Famous Author Of Les Miserables, And The Hunchback Of Notre-Dame - Ca. 1876

    Colorized portrait of an elderly man in vintage clothing, showcasing the artist's skill in colorizing old photos to reshape history.

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    #23

    Richard Pierce - 14 Years Of Age, Works As A Western Union Telegraph Messenger. With Nine Months Of Service. He Works From 7 A.m. To 6 P.m. Smokes. Visits Houses Of Prostitution. Wilmington, Delaware, Ca. May 1910

    Colorized photo of a young boy in a vintage uniform and cap, showcasing historical details restored by artist colorizing old photos.

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    #24

    Buzz Aldrin, The Second Man On The Moon, Seen Here As Commandant Of The Air Force Test Pilot School, Ca. 1963

    Colorized portrait of a military officer in uniform with medals, showcasing artist colorizes old photos to change history perception.

    Note the Mickey Mouse watch he is wearing as well.

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    #25

    Theodore Roosevelt Holding His Grandson, Kermit Roosevelt Jr. - Ca. 1916

    Colorized old photo showing a man in glasses and suit holding a smiling baby, highlighting artist colorizes history photos.

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    Michael Remley
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know the feeling of being a proud grandpa. I have six grandkids.

    #26

    Mark Twain

    Colorized photo of an older man in a suit sitting on a chair outdoors, showcasing artist colorizing old photos history.

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    #27

    Abraham Lincoln And George Mcclellan At Antietam, October 2nd/3rd, 1862

    Two men in historical clothing sit inside a tent with colorized old photos by artist colorizing history.

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    #28

    James Dean, Actor And Rebel Without A Cause, December 29th, 1954

    Close-up of a colorized portrait of a man from old photos by an artist transforming history perception.

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    #29

    Audrey Hepburn

    Colorized portrait of a young woman with short hair and pearl earrings, showcasing artist colorizes old photos skillfully.

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    #30

    A Boy Shows Off His Ray Gun, Around The 1950s

    Young boy holding vintage toy gun in colorized old photo by artist transforming history perception.

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    #31

    Neil Armstrong, The First Man To Walk On The Moon, Training For The Apollo Mission

    Colorized historic photo of astronaut Neil Armstrong in Apollo 11 space suit, showcasing artist colorizing old photos.

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    #32

    Unidentified Soldier Of The First Australian Imperial Force

    Colorized portrait of a young soldier from an old photo, showcasing the artist colorizing history with vivid detail and realism.

    About the first AIF: The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed on 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany, initially with a strength of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. The infantry division subsequently fought at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, being reinforced by a second division which was later raised, as well as three light horse brigades. After being evacuated to Egypt the AIF was expanded to five infantry divisions, which were committed to the fighting in France and Belgium along the Western Front in March 1916. A sixth infantry division was partially raised in 1917 in the United Kingdom, but was broken up and used as reinforcements following heavy casualties on the Western Front. Meanwhile, two mounted divisions remained in the Middle East to fight against Turkish forces in the Sinai and Palestine. An all volunteer force, by the end of the war the AIF had gained a reputation as being a well-trained and highly effective military force, playing a significant role in the final Allied victory. However, this reputation came at a heavy cost with a casualty rate among the highest of any belligerent for the war. The AIF included the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), which consisted of four combat and four training squadrons that were deployed to the United Kingdom, the Western Front and the Middle East throughout the war. After the war, the AFC evolved into the Royal Australian Air Force; the remainder of the 1st AIF was disbanded between 1919 and 1921. After the war the achievements of the AIF and its soldiers, known colloquially as "Diggers", became central to the national mythology of the "Anzac legend". Gene

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    #33

    Joseph Goebbels Scowling At Photographer Albert Eisenstaedt After Finding Out Eisenstaedt Was Jewish.

    Colorized vintage photo shows men in formal suits outdoors, highlighting detail that might change the way you perceive history.

    Eisenstaedt himself is quoted as saying 'He stared at me with hate in his eyes', despite the events following up to this. Eisenstaedt had photographed Goebbels sitting on his own outside in the courtyard, had approached him and taken a photograph of him with a warm smile, and then moments later was confronted with this, when Goebbels had learned of Eisenstaedts 'true identity'. Sad.

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    #34

    Martin Luther King Meeting With President John F. Kennedy And Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson During The Civil Rights Movement

    Group of men in suits in a formal room, colorized old photo by artist transforming history perception.

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    #35

    Audie Murphy, One Of The Most Decorated Combat Soldiers Of The Second World War

    Colorized portrait of a young World War II soldier in uniform, showcasing artist colorizing old photos and history perception.

    He received every military combat award for valor available from the Army, as well as Belgian and French awards for heroism. He also received the Medal of Honor at 19 for single-handedly holding off an entire company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in January of '45, in France. A small side note is the bottom left crest, which is the insignia of the 159th French Alpine Infantry Regiment. He was awarded this device by the Mayor of Ramatuelle, France, on the 13th of July, 1948 - he was awarded this when he was in France to be decorated by Lattre de Tassigny with the French Legion of Honor (Chevalier), and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, which took place on July 19th, 1948. Another note is the Texas National Guard's 36th Infantry Division patch he is wearing on his left arm.

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    #36

    On The Left Is A Bavarian Grandfather, A Veteran Of The Franco-Prussian War Wearing The 1868 Bavaria Uniform, And On The Right Side Is The Grandson, A Prussian Officer Wearing A 1913 Prussia Uniform

    Two soldiers in detailed uniforms holding weapons, colorized by artist to enhance perception of history.

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    #37

    Testing A Bulletproof Vest, Around 1920

    Man firing a gun at another man wearing a bulletproof vest in a colorized old photo by an artist.

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