Hand colored photograph from the early 1900's	Hand colored photograph with only the background colored

Before color photography was invented people took black-and-white photographs and hand colored them so they would look like they were in color! Now people do this because it gives a special effect to black-and-white photographs.

You can make your own cards to hand color! You only need a few items: watercolor pencils (available at craft stores), a paintbrush (with a small brush), and a card with a black-and-white photocopy of a picture to hand color. Choose a card you would like to hand color here, then follow the directions below on how to hand color it. 

 

 

 

Pick a Card!
(click on picture, then print)

Delicate Arch	Monument Valley	Lake in the Uinta Mountains
Pioneer Girls in Rockville, Utah	Washing Clothes in 1902	Victorian Girl with Doll
Sailing on the Great Salt Lake	Horse and a Friend	Navajo Medicine Man
Union Pacific #5313	WWII Navajo Code Talker	Blue Flame Race Car

1. Choose the parts of the picture you want to color. You don't need to color the whole picture, people often just pick out a few things to color, which is what makes these pictures look so cool.

2. Choose what color you want to paint each part.

3. Use your watercolor pencil and outline each part. You don't need to make the lines very dark, it only takes a little bit to work.

4. Wet your paintbrush with water; paint over the lines you colored, dragging the paintbrush from the edge of the outlined area into the center and blend. Rinse your brush before you go to another color. Do this to every part of the picture you want to color. You will be amazed how great your picture will look! 

You can also use watercolor paints, markers, and crayons to hand color photographs!

5. After you have hand colored the photographs cut the paper down the middle so you will have two cards.

6. Fold each card in half. Write your own message inside the card and give to someone special!

Would you like to hand color more photographs?  We have photographs to hand color on our Before Color Film Kid's Page.

State History has more than 20,000 historic photographs with lots of people, places, events and things on our web site.