The young John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

Colorized photo of the young JFK when he was in the U.S. Navy during WWII. (1941 - 1945) starting as an ensign and promoted to Lieutenant until the end of the war. During his stint, he served in the Motor Torpedo Squad where he led missions doma=manding a crew of PT-109 and 59,(Patrol Torpedo boats) stationed in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. He became famous when he saved his surviving crew of the PT-109 that was rammed by a Japanse destroyer Amagiri in April 1943. Kennedy received military decorations and awards that included the Navy and Marine Corps Medal; Purple Heart Medal; American Defense Service Medal; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three ​3⁄16" bronze stars; and the World War II Victory Medal.

Jose Rizal (1861 - 1896)

Undated photo of the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal, colorized from a photo taken in Europe ca 1890s. This was cropped from group photo together with Marcelo H del Pilar, and Mariano Ponce.
 

Adolph HItler in Paris, June 1940, colorized

After Poland, Hitler trained his sights on France, enabling him to conquer the western European countries of Belgium, Luxumberg and the Netherlands along the way. It also put into motion his vengeance against the country that humiliated Germany in WWI in the Treaty of Versailles. Against all expectations, Hitler demolished within a few weeks what was considered the most powerful military power in mainland Europe since WWI. France underestimated Hitler (and overestimated their own military power) who mobilized more than 3 million soldiers to overwhelm a mere 800,000 French military. The fall of France on June 20, 1940 enabled Hitler to launch his bombing blitz on London and considered invading Britain through the English Channel except that he hesitated and focused his resources on invading Russia instead, opening an eastern front, his biggest and most fatal blunder. Had Hitler continued to invade Britain after France. Britain could have fallen next with a ground invasion while preoccupied with dogfights in the Battle of Brittain. The Royal Family would have moved to Canada.

Here's my colorized take on this event captured Jun 23, 1940 when Hitler posed with his architect Albert Speer (left), sculptor Arno Brecker (right), and personal photographer Heinrich Hoffman against the Eiffel Tower considered a symbol of liberty by the French. The photo shocked the world when it appeared in several broadsheets a day later. People everywhere expected Hitler to proceed and conquer Britain.

Zebras in the field, colorized from a recent photo in the African Wilds.

Colorized photo downloaded from the net depicting Zebras in the wilds of Africa. Not much else is known about the photo that appears to be offered as a PC screen theme.

Merced River, Yosemite, 1974, Colorized by Alex Lim

Colorized 1974 John Sexton photo of White Branch on Merced River, Yosemite Valley.

Post-war Philippines, a magazine stand in Quiapo, Manila, ca early 1950s

 A magazine stand on Rizal Avenue corner Claro M. Recto Avenue, Quiapo, Manila. Colorized from a 1949 photo by Jack Brims & John Tewell for Life/Time magazine.  Note the price of a Life magazine with a Peso-Dollar exchange at 1:1

Queen Elizabeth II, 1951

Colorized this from a photo by Yousuf Karsh taken at Clarence House London, July 30, 1951, six months before the death of her father, King George VI, when she suddenly became the Queen of England.

16th U.S. President Abe Lincoln, colorized from a photo by Alexander Gardner taken in Feb 1865.

Being the president trying to win and eventually won the U.S. Civil war can hasten the aging process. Here's how a Feb 1865 photo by Alexander Gardner was able to capture a weary Abe Lincoln just a month before his inaugural for his second term as president and just 2 months away from his assassination in April 1865, just 5 days after Gen. Lee's surrender. Colorized in two versions with background liberties.

A vintage portrait of a Filipina mestiza taken in 1875

A vintage portrait of a Filipina mestiza, colorized from a photo titled "Mujer de la clase rica" translated as "A woman of the wealthy class", ca 1875.  The photo is considered as among the oldest Philippine photo of the peninsular class in 19th century Filipino society. Taken by the Dutch photographer Francisco van Camp, who was well known in the Philippines for his extremely refined portraiture.  This photo of a woman with an almost other-worldly grace well deserves the attribution "one of the most beautiful images in 19th-century photography."

Miss Universe Kusela crowning Violeta Villamor as Pear of the Orients & Miss Visayas

Here's a colorized and stylized photo of the first Miss Universe Armi Kuusela of Finland crowning Violeta Villamor as Pearl of the Orient and Miss Visayas in the Miss Philippines beauty pageant held March 20, 1953, around nine months after Armi won the Miss Universe crown, and more than a month before resigning and marrying Pinoy businessman Virgilio Hilario.

Filipina ladies wearing the traditional Baro't Saya, ca 1919-1920

Filipina ladies wearing the traditional Baro't Saya ca 1919-1920.  Nothing else is known about that photo except that the lady on the looks like a Chinese half breed with a relatively fairer skin

Two German snipers surrender to GIs of the 3rd Army in Koblenz. Colorized a 1945 photo by Alex Lim

A colorized photo depicting two German snipers surrendering to GIs of the 3rd Army in Koblenz. The youngster on the right was wounded by US return fire. Germans generally preferred surrendering to American GIs as Russia

ns took no sniper prisoners; they were invariably shot on sight. March 26, 1945.

A Zebra-driven carriage on Brixton St. London, ca 1910-16 Ccolorized by Alex Lim

Here's a colorized photo of a vintage street scene ca 1910-17 - a zebra-driven carriage leaving Brixton and heading for Stockwell at a time when carriages mixed with cars on the streets. Zebras were seen driving carriages in London between 1880 and 1930. (The electrified trams didn't arrive in Brixton until 1904). The Quin and Axtens department store incorporated in 1880s had its ads on the bridge. The company ended with a single bomb from the German blitzkrieg in 1944

Oilfield truck driver and his son sitting on the porch Colorized from a 1939 photo

Oilfield truck driver and his son sitting on the porch in Seminole, Oklahoma (August 1939)

Birth of US Flag , colorized from a sphoto of staged event in 1917 and based on a 19111 painting by Henry Mosler

This was a simulated or staged birth of the U.S. flag done in 1917 but using the current U.S. flag at that time, a 1917 flag containing the 48 stars, which rendered the staged event less than authentic. The first U.S.flag had a circular arrangement of 13 stars representing the first 13 states of the union. The concept was based on a Henry Mosler painting depicting the birth of the U.S. Flag. |

The second photo is my attempt to correct the re-enacted image since the first US flag only had 13 stars in a circular format representing the first 13 colonies.