A Filipina beauty, colorized from a photo taken ca 1890

A Filipina beauty possibly taken by Francisco van Camp, a Dutch photographer who became famous in the late 19th century for taking studio shots of rich families of illustrators in what was then considered a new art medium. No more posing for hours before an artist painting their portraits on a canvas

With extensive liberties i compositing a different background image from standard photo stocks, colorized a Filipina aristocrat beauty , ca 1890s. Along with the pañuelo or kerchief, fan, and the parasol )day-umbrella), the baro't saya  of the Spanish era are favorite fashion wear ethnic wear among Philippine social ladies all the way to the American era when posing before the camera.

Young Amalia Fuentes ( 1940 - ) during her early years in Philippine movies.

Amalia Muhlach Fuentes from Naga, Camarines Sur in the Philippines is a Filipino actress and former Movie Queen and superstar of Philippine cinema. She was once dubbed the Elizabeth Taylor of the Philippines and is acclaimed as the most beautiful face in Philippine cinema. She is the aunt of actors Aga Muhlack and Nino Muhlach, mother of actress Liesl Martinez who died of cancer in 2015.

Gloria Romero (Galla), Filipina actress (1933-) colorized

Colorized a photo of the young Gloria Romero, ca 1950. She is a multi-award actress who has appeared in both film and TV in a career that spans 60 years with almost 200 films and is the first recipient of the lifetime achievement award from the Philippine MTRCB (Movies and Television Review and Classification Board).

She first appeared in her first movie as an extra in Ang Bahay sa Lumang Gulod and was introduced to local cinema as "Gloria Romero" in her first lead role in Monghita (1952) opposite Oscar Moreno. She received her first major acting award in Filipino Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences (FAMAS, the Philippines counterpart of the Oscars) as Best Actress for her role in Dalagang Ilocana (1954).

She has appeared as a drunken landlady on TV sitcoms (Palibhasa Lalake) and with the late Eddie Garcia in a TV melodrama  Maalaala mo Kya in 2008 and continues to take on demanding roles as a grandmother in several movies and films. Here life and works are essayed at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Romero_(actress) 

Amalia Fuentes (1940 -)

Amalia Fuentes (born August 27, 1940) is a Filipino actress and former Movie Queen and superstar of Philippine cinema. She was once dubbed the Elizabeth Taylor of the Philippines and is acclaimed as the most beautiful face of Philippine cinema. She is the aunt of actors Aga Muhlach and Nino Muhlach.

She is the mother of actress Liezl Martinez and was the first Filipino Lux Soap model.

Ingrid Bergman (1915 - 1982) colorized & stylized by Alex Lim from a 1948 photo

One of my recent colorization efforts - another vintage celebrity - Ingrid Bergman (1915 - 1982) from a promo still in 1948. Famous for iconic roles in Casablanca and a few Hitchcock films. She's tagged as a natural beauty for not using make-up or even reshaping her eyebrows when first introduced to American movie moguls. A statuesque 5'9" she's not exactly an hour-glass with a modest 34-24-34 shape for someone so tall. She was among the tallest women in Hollywood during her time (Sigourney Weaver topped that in the 80s as a 6-footer.)

Rosario, restored and colorized photo of my mother Cirila "Rosario"Valdepenas Yadan (1927 - 1989) taken ca 1946/47

Finally got hold of flatbed scanner. Every home should have one to digitize and electronically store vintage family pics.  This one is a portrait of my mom taken after WWII that devastated Manila.

Below is another colorized Bob's studio photo of my mother circa 1952-54.

Maude Adams (1872 - 1953) colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Not to be confused with a more recent Swedish-American actress Maude Adams who was known as a James Bond in the 1970 Octopussy.  The first Maude Adams. was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production of Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up..  Her personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more than one million dollars during her peak

Bette Davis, ca 1936, colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Cleo De Merode (1875 - 1966), 1905

Another colorized vintage portrait of the most photographed woman in Europe in the early 1900s, also from Falex Nadar taken 1905.

Cleo de Merode (1875 - 1966), by Felix Nadar , 1905

Revisited my directory full of downloads of Cleo de Merode's vintage photos.  Colorized another, first is this from French Photo journalist Felix Nadar in 1905. To those who don't know, Cleo (Cléopatra Diane de Mérode) was the most photographed woman in Europe during her prime, the equivalent of a supermodel today, and enjoyed similar acclaim as a fellow Frech beauty Bridgette Bardot. To know more about her, just Google her name and there are countless resources on her.

Colorized Cleo de Merode 1905

Colorized photo of French Ballet Dancer Cleo De Merode (1875 - 1966) taken in 1903, a contemporary of Mata Hari. She was more known for her legendary beauty than dancing skills and at 22 became the mistress of 61-year old Belgian King Leopold II. The model of choice among painters, sculptors and photographers,  she is considered the most photographed woman during her prime.

Colorized Bette Davis in her 20s

Here's another Hollywood vintage from the number one arch enemy of Joan Crawford - the legendary Bette Davis. Not as dashingly seductive as Joan, the two-time Oscar awardee made her mark more as a character actress, though both excelled as dramatic icons. Here is my colorized young Bette Davis in her mid-late 20s. I don't exactly like colorizing props and backgrounds unless absolutely necessary and this one has flowers in front of and right beside the subject. No choice but to colorize the flowers as well.

 

Colorized Vintage Beauties I & II

A little erotic subject for a change. Came across this lovely specimen of the female persuasion that simply refused to be glossed over. Her sensuous youthful innocence represents precisely a lost irreplaceable period in time. I saw no specific name in the vintage file, nor in the site, simply referring to the photo as that of an unnamed beauty circa 1890s. Could be a stage actress. Doesn't really matter, she is timeless beauty personified. And now colorized.

Sometimes a vintage b&w registration gives a strong hint it has no place for subtleties. This one cried out for a little aggressive coloring. Some would call it garish colors. (garish as in red, lavender, fuchsia, and green, the kind you would expect Batman's arch nemesis Joker to wear.) But her aggressive beauty requires it. I went with dark hair with dark green eyes this time. Again, this is another unnamed beauty from late 19th or early 20th century.