Hand-colored Black and White Pictures

First Online: February 21,2007
Page Last Updated: March 09,2008

Introduction

Since the advent of digital touching of photographs, the hand-coloring of monochrome photographs is a dead art form. However, to document a glorious era in the world of black-and-white photography, and to do justice to the laborious hours of the artist/photographer K.L.Kamat, who used transparent photo colors to hand-color the photographs, we bring you this online exhibit. 

The transparent colors that Kamat has used were actually "see-though" colors that you apply in coats to enhance or manipulate the black-and-white photograph. Cotton stubs and hairline brushes were used to apply the colors. Excess colors were washed and then the photograph was glazed in a glazing machine.

Artificially Colored Photographs

R.K. Narayan is one of the foremost Indian writers Portrait hand-colored by K.L.Kamat
	Tribal Headgear Central India, 1976. Photograph hand-colored by K.L.Kamat
Coloring of Monochrome Photographs Yields New Form of Art Detail of temple sculpture from Bhatkal, circa 16th century.
	A Youngster Belonging to Muria Tribe Photograph hand-colored by K.L. Kamat
Portrait of a Tribal Boy, Bastar Photograph hand-colored by Kamat
	Halakki Gowdatis in Synchronized Rice Pounding (Photograph is hand-colored by K.L.Kamat)
Transparent Color Enhances the Beauty while Preserving the Original Definition Picture shows medieval musicians of Bhatkal
	Young Couple Picture of newly wed couple, 1980
Tribal Man, Madhya Pradesh
	Tribal Woman, Madhya Pradesh

See Also:

• Vintage Advertisements -- Showcase of old and successful advertisements from India. Includes advertisements for clothing, telephones, vehicles, and condiments.