Black and White Photo - What colour???!!

[echokilo]

Can anyone tell me a way of finding out the colour of bridesmaids dresses on a black and white photo? I know there is a way as it's been on TV when they have coloured old b & w celluloid etc ................ is there somewhere you can send a photo to get this detail? I can post the photo for you all to look at if someone can tell me how!!

[jackthehat]

Hand-tinting B&W film is NOT the same thing. It is guesswork, perhaps slightly educated, but still guesswork.

There have been instances where B&W copies of colour programmes *have* been brought back to the original colour, but that is because there is still 'coding' in/on the B&W film which allows such restoration.

[carolegif]

Usually they have some information on what the colours were. Could you ask the family if they remember, or is the photo very old?
I remember my mother having a colouring kit for b & w photos years ago, we still have the results!

[echokilo]

Thanks both - there is someone who is still alive and I will ask her, but it's doubtful she will remember as the photo was 1934 and she is 95 this year!! It probably seems insignificant to most, but it's my grandparents wedding photo and I would love to know the colour(s) they chose.

Thanks for your help.

[carolegif]

Usually 95 year olds can remember more about the 1930's than yesterday!

[jno]

You can't tell. Tone (the degree of lightness/darkness) is no indicator of hue. A medium grey might be red, green, blue, brown, anything. You'd need other evidence, such as memories.

If nobody who was there remembers anything, then of course you can colour it any way you like - nobody will contradict you.