In this article, we will have the unique opportunity to see photos of Europe from the early 20th century brought to life with color thanks to the process of manual colorization by talented artist Baptiste Pierre. These images give a glimpse into the everyday lives of civilians living in small villages/towns as well as major European cities, such as Amsterdam and Brussels, at the start of the 1900s.
Baptiste Pierre is a French artist that has masterfully restored and colorized these photographs of Europe in the early 20th century. Many hours have been spent researching and colorizing these images to the highest level of accuracy possible. Be sure to follow Baptiste Pierre on Instagram and check out his website to see more of their colorizations!
Four women photographed outside a house in the slums of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1899. The photograph was taken by the Health Service in preparation for an uninhabitable declaration.
Ships arrive in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, as locals watch on. Het Steen, a medieval fortress, and the oldest building in Antwerp (built in the 1200s), can be seen on the right. Photograph taken by Arnold Genthe in the early 1900s.
A group of children dressed up in smart attire, likely to attend church, standing on Karpfangerstraße, a street located in Hamburg, Germany. Photograph taken in circa 1904.
People photographed in May 1921 on Impasse Chausson, a street in Paris, France facing the ‘Maison Des Syndicats’ which is the Paris Trade Union House.
1904 photograph of a woman standing in an alley in an unknown village in Europe, most likely located in Northern France or Belgium.
Locals walking on an unidentified narrow street in an unknown European town, likely northern Germany or Belgium. Photograph taken by Arnold Genthe in 1904 during his travels around Europe.
A Bernard Eilers photograph taken in November 1908 of a coachman waiting on a street near the famous building, Beurs van Berlage, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
A young girl carrying a basket down a dirt street, followed behind by a mother and child in an unidentified European town, likely to be France or Belgium, in the early 1900s.
An Arnold Genthe photograph from 1904 of light seeping into an alleyway with houses on each side in an unknown town in Europe.
Early 20th-century photo taken by Arnold Genthe of a street in an unknown town in Europe, likely northern France or Belgium.
The Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium photographed in 1904. La Grand-Place is the central square in the capital city of Belgium.
To see more of Baptiste Pierre’s work, be sure to follow them on Instagram and check out their website!
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One Response
#6 and #10 (from top) are pictures of the same street (top view, bottom view) and I bet #5 too