Online Research in Colorization Part I

Online research helps to ensure colorizing a vintage photo has some historic authenticity.  I find this basic when working with photos of historical relevance or value.  What's the color of Abe Lincoln's Eyes.  What's the color of Winston Churchill's hair when he was young, etc.  Admittedly, not all such information can be obtained, and you are left with guesswork for many of your colorization effort.

The vintage photo of Sir Winston Churchill as a young teenager can be colorized with guesswork. Luckily, the information I needed was available online. For instance, historical narration depicted what little was left of his hair in the 1940s to be grey and you need to delve deeper to learn he was a redhead when young. What's the color of his eyes? Blue.  That makes him a rare biological specimen since redheads with blue eyes represent only 1% among redheads. Now how did I learn he had red hair?  Well, he was nicknamed "Copperknob" in school because of his red hair. And here:

"The Young Churchill"
The Honorable Celia Sandys
Calgary, Alberta, 23 September 1994:


"During the Second World War, convinced—no doubt with good reason—that if the Germans were to invade Britain their first targets would be my grandfather and his family, she hatched a plot of her own. Nanny intended, in the event of this almost unthinkable and certainly unmentionable outcome of the war, to remove my brother, my sister and myself from the clutches of a vengeful Adolf Hitler. The plan was to dye our tell-tale Churchillian red hair black, and to escape to the protection of her family, who had a pub in Liverpool."

Compositing

If you notice in the background, I've composited a monochromatic image of the older Sir Churchill as most people know him. Not necessary, but I guess it helps to remind me and others who this handsome boy was. The first time I saw this picture, I went through a severe disconnect between what I know of Churchill and this.

Needless to say, the colors of his wardrobe are all guesswork. But a little detailing helped on the hair, necktie, his shirt, and if you look close enough, a more detailed button hole on his coat lapel and a kerchief that only seemed hinted at in the original vintage. Is this all necessary? It is to me, especially when blowing up the original image of 800 pixels to the size I work with, typically above 2000 pixels at the longest side.