Colorize old photos for free at My Heritage this month

I’ve been uploading a few more photos taken by my family over 100 years ago.

However, there have always been a few pictures that have bugged me because I can’t figure out where they were taken.

I just feel like this place is still around somewhere and maybe someone here might recognize it and solve the mystery for me.

All I know is they were taken somewhere between 1911-1924.

It is a military base or military institute/school.

I believe it is naval.

Does this place look familiar at all to any of our military folks here?


The first is a monument where the soldier does not hold a weapon but his arms appear folded. Also, notice the tree to the left. Is that a palmetto?

Sorry it is sideways but could not figure out how to flip it.

E785BBA0-AAB7-4239-BB62-CCA6BFEF0320.jpeg


Below appears to be a closeup of the same monument

FF378752-7AAA-4B04-8997-38FD23C25AE0.jpeg


Below:

I feel like this is the same military base or school but different monument
. I’m sure the building is probably no longer around, but surely this monument still stands today? I did not colorize this one because when I did, the dates on it blurred. But it looks like the dates chiseled into it reads 1840-185P.

I know 185”P” can’t be right but that looks exactly like what it says. Maybe the date is significant
Thoughts? Does the emblem look familiar?


E98FF67E-A28D-4E4B-B99E-F5A05193FB1B.jpeg


Below: Another sideways. Sorry.

The guy pictured here look like he is wearing naval uniform.

A433EEA6-694A-48CD-8FFC-EB22223AA132.jpeg


So if any of these pictures look familiar I would appreciate it if someone could let me know. I may have had a family member serve or attend this place and I’d love to know more about it.

Thanks.
 
I think the way to use the colorization is not to think of the colorized version as a replacement of the original but as a new way of looking at the same image. I'm not sure, though, that I buy the argument that the colorized version is less valid because it isn't what the photographer saw or intended. After all, do you think if color photos were available ordinary people getting portraits would have opted for a black and white or sepia instead? These portraits were mementos - visual reminders of loved ones. In real life all was color - that photographs didn't show that was because they couldn't.
 
I think the way to use the colorization is not to think of the colorized version as a replacement of the original but as a new way of looking at the same image....In real life all was color - that photographs didn't show that was because they couldn't.

...and they never will (have the colors of real life). Colorization is creative artwork, a muse, a guess. Yes, entertaining and worthwhile as far as it goes, but useless or worse for the study of history, where reality is hard enough to discern without the paint job.

I agree that folks back then would have preferred color photos, just as soldiers back then would have preferred an M-16. It reminds me of the common reenactorism "They'd a used 'em if they'd a-had 'em," .which is not wrong, it's just not serious history.

Don't get me wrong, I have emotions too. I love that these colorizations have been posted here. Some of them make you feel like you're right there in front of these ancestors, brought back to life. My only caveat has been that there's nothing in colorization that's even remotely valid historically, a pretty good point. Other's opinions vary.
 
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My only caveat has been that there's nothing in colorization that's even remotely valid historically, a pretty good point.
I totally agree. So, not 100% historically accurate yet still valid for other purposes.

My family and I went last year to see the remake of old WWI movies done by director Peter Jackson - They Shall Not Grow Old. Jackson took footage from the war, adjusted the speed of the frames to make the movements more fluid, colorized the images to make them more close to life, and added noises where appropriate to make them sound accurate for the scene. True to history? No, not at all. But unbelievably powerful? Oh yes. It was amazing. I've read diaries from the time. I've seen photos from the time. This was so much more. The men came alive in a way they never have with text or black and white images.

If we could do that with the Civil War I'd be first in line to see it. Not to replace what we have that is "valid historically" - but to give myself that experience of seeing that slice in history in a more accessible way. It's not unlike the way in which reading the statistics from a battle is a much different experience than having one man's letter from that battle, even if that letter is not completely accurate in it's facts. The numbers may be truly correct in portraying what happened, but the story told in one man's voice - that's the key to being there.
 
So, I am trying this for the first time today, and am unable to get the image of my Union Captain colorized because it says the image is too small. Not sure if there's a way to get around that or if the original image has to be a certain size. Maybe somebody knows?
 
So, I am trying this for the first time today, and am unable to get the image of my Union Captain colorized because it says the image is too small. Not sure if there's a way to get around that or if the original image has to be a certain size. Maybe somebody knows?

Do you have an I-Phone? Get the image on your phone and then you can expand or zoom on the picture and then take a screenshot of it.
 
Do you have an I-Phone? Get the image on your phone and then you can expand or zoom on the picture and then take a screenshot of it.
No, Alan. I have an android phone, but my kids have I-phones. So, thanks for the heads up. I'll see if one of them can help me :smile:
 
So, I am trying this for the first time today, and am unable to get the image of my Union Captain colorized because it says the image is too small. Not sure if there's a way to get around that or if the original image has to be a certain size. Maybe somebody knows?
There's a free image software called Paint.net that let's you resize images quite easily
 
Yeah, I look at the colorized version and wonder just how accurate the colors are. But as someone said, if nothing else it's a neat way to bring out some details that might not otherwise be noticed. Color really brings these guys to life.

Before and after with my Civil War ancestor, William Franklin Owens:

HWmstWS.jpg
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I’ve been uploading a few more photos taken by my family over 100 years ago.

However, there have always been a few pictures that have bugged me because I can’t figure out where they were taken.

I just feel like this place is still around somewhere and maybe someone here might recognize it and solve the mystery for me.

All I know is they were taken somewhere between 1911-1924.

It is a military base or military institute/school.

I believe it is naval.

Does this place look familiar at all to any of our military folks here?


The first is a monument where the soldier does not hold a weapon but his arms appear folded. Also, notice the tree to the left. Is that a palmetto?

Sorry it is sideways but could not figure out how to flip it.

View attachment 353787

Below appears to be a closeup of the same monument

View attachment 353788

Below:

I feel like this is the same military base or school but different monument
. I’m sure the building is probably no longer around, but surely this monument still stands today? I did not colorize this one because when I did, the dates on it blurred. But it looks like the dates chiseled into it reads 1840-185P.

I know 185”P” can’t be right but that looks exactly like what it says. Maybe the date is significant
Thoughts? Does the emblem look familiar?


View attachment 353786

Below: Another sideways. Sorry.

The guy pictured here look like he is wearing naval uniform.

View attachment 353789

So if any of these pictures look familiar I would appreciate it if someone could let me know. I may have had a family member serve or attend this place and I’d love to know more about it.

Thanks.
I have your answer to the two colorized photos found in your family history. On a personal note, I knew your vintage photographs looked familiar to me. I live about 15 miles west of Pensacola, on Perdido Bay, which separates Alabama and Florida. Have tried to photograph this beautiful monument several times. What once was the spacious park shown in your photographs is now a narrow strip in downtown Pensacola with no park, and non-stop traffic. The monument has been defaced and covered with graffiti on multiple occasions.
Here are some vintage post cards and a bit on the Lee Square Park in downtown Pensacola, Florida:
2DC55CA0-5A23-4C36-B481-57A2119A57F7.jpeg
DF215AC7-1E2C-44F9-93D1-A66F2F3A11F7.jpeg
AFCF4E6A-7C52-4964-954D-7A7E1BEBF490.jpeg
99C99A30-4E4C-4A65-B7E7-7606E0634861.jpeg
B5EF685B-AE28-4DEE-86BB-D60DDC7BE03C.jpeg
 
I have your answer to the two colorized photos found in your family history. On a personal note, I knew your vintage photographs looked familiar to me. I live about 15 miles west of Pensacola, on Perdido Bay, which separates Alabama and Florida. Have tried to photograph this beautiful monument several times. What once was the spacious park shown in your photographs is now a narrow strip in downtown Pensacola with no park, and non-stop traffic. The monument has been defaced and covered with graffiti on multiple occasions.
Here are some vintage post cards and a bit on the Lee Square Park in downtown Pensacola, Florida:
View attachment 358251View attachment 358247View attachment 358248View attachment 358249View attachment 358250
Wow! Thank you so much, @farrargirl!! I had actually given up and thought I’d never discover where those pictures were taken!! Amazing!!

So, Lee Square used to be part of the Naval Air Station but it is not now? Is that correct?

Also, do you think the other monument (3rd picture in that series I posted above) is nearby too? maybe on the Naval Air station Base itself? That monument seems to have dates on it like 1840-1850 Or something. I feel like it was nearby since it was in the same grouping of pictures.

I know you said you had tried to take pictures of the one in Lee Square. I would love to see what it looks like today if you have any.

Anyway, I really, really appreciate you taking the time to post this information for me!!! Much thanks!!!

-Alan
 
Wow! Thank you so much, @farrargirl!! I had actually given up and thought I’d never discover where those pictures were taken!! Amazing!!

So, Lee Square used to be part of the Naval Air Station but it is not now? Is that correct?

Also, do you think the other monument (3rd picture in that series I posted above) is nearby too? maybe on the Naval Air station Base itself? That monument seems to have dates on it like 1840-1850 Or something. I feel like it was nearby since it was in the same grouping of pictures.

I know you said you had tried to take pictures of the one in Lee Square. I would love to see what it looks like today if you have any.

Anyway, I really, really appreciate you taking the time to post this information for me!!! Much thanks!!!

-Alan

Hello again, Alan,
Your questions were, thankfully, fairly easy to answer.
1. No, Lee Square Park not located on the navy base. Pensacola Naval Air Station is a sprawling, quite beautiful base located directly on Pensacola Bay, which is about 8 miles or so southwest of downtown Pensacola. I included the snippet on NAS for a possible time frame on your collection, as the sailors shown may have been in process of shipping out to France in 1917.
2. Is the monument still in existence... very much so!
Should you want to street google it, the address is 602 North Palafox Street, Pensacola. And here it is now, with an older article from Pensacola Journal:
( apparently, the posting of multiple photographs is way beyond myl pay grade, so I will be continuing in next posting with intriguing info and data on your middle black/white photograph.)
Marty


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Post #2.
This is a great find, Alan.
Here is your original photo above, with the identified building and the obelisk below. The angle of your photo doesn’t show the perspective, but the obelisk in foreground is actually across the street from the legendary Pensacola Opera House. I do know that your photo was taken prior to 1916 , when the opera house was damaged by two hurricanes and demolished in following year.
Post #3 , final one, will follow with fascinating history of the obelisk. You really have a family treasure in these vintage pics of Pensacola prior to 1916. Hope this can help you determine whether your family may have vacationed here, or had a relative who had completed basic training here and was off to war...
Enjoyed the project!
Marty
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411C0D85-C309-4C10-800A-73348260BBD2.jpeg
 
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Post #3
Now for the obelisk...this is a partial history of Colonel Chipley. The reason the dates are unfinished, I think, is because he was still alive when the monument was erected (died 1897, buried in Columbus, Ga.).His entire bio, along with most of this research can be found on Pensapedia.com.
9C64DA91-69DC-433D-BF6F-29239957D6CE.jpeg
ACE57584-4A66-4FCE-95F8-6ABB0B43FABC.jpeg
ACE57584-4A66-4FCE-95F8-6ABB0B43FABC.jpeg
 
That is absolutely amazing, @farrargirl! Mystery solved!!

I do know I had a great uncle who served in the military who, ironically - considering the present pandemic, at least - died from the Flu Epidemic in 1918 while still in the army. However, I don’t know if he was stationed at Pensacola.

I look forward to visiting Pensacola now!!!

At any rate, it’s due to you that I now know that these pictures were taken in Pensacola. As a consequence, I’m pretty sure the following pictures from the same grouping are from Pensacola as well.

Sorry for the sideways posts - I cant figure out how to flip them on my IPhone:

Navy plane?
1B588749-28AE-4175-A5E8-F69643F700F5.jpeg


Church?
A97C2A4F-2A6F-4FD9-8131-37E3A413298A.jpeg


Pensacola beach?
252E30A3-2488-487C-89E7-04BD96A84C29.jpeg
 
That is absolutely amazing, @farrargirl! Mystery solved!!

I do know I had a great uncle who served in the military who, ironically - considering the present pandemic, at least - died from the Flu Epidemic in 1918 while still in the army. However, I don’t know if he was stationed at Pensacola.

I look forward to visiting Pensacola now!!!

At any rate, it’s due to you that I now know that these pictures were taken in Pensacola. As a consequence, I’m pretty sure the following pictures from the same grouping are from Pensacola as well.

Sorry for the sideways posts - I cant figure out how to flip them on my IPhone:

Navy plane?
View attachment 358339

Church?
View attachment 358337

Pensacola beach?
View attachment 358338
After 15 years of genealogy, and an intimate knowledge of this area, I am
not going to be able to turn this journey down :+))...
Already have some theories on the events transpiring here. Will prod around and get back to you in a day or two....
Marty
 
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