Stunning new colorized images of Douglas propliners

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February 22, 2022
Douglas
Douglas DC-7C

It is an art in itself – bringing aging black and white photos back to life with brilliant color.

In his latest efforts, the 24-year old Frenchman Benoit Vienne has worked on Pan American classic DC-4, DC-6, DC-7, and DC-7C propliners which dominated the late 1940s, and 1950s.

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For Mr. Vienne colorization is a passion that started years ago when playing historical video games. That passion was ignited when he discovered colorized photos on the internet.

Douglas DC-6B

“I was so impressed by the feeling a colorized photo can bring.

“A lot of young people feel a bit disconnected when they see a black and white photo but when it’s colorized, the feeling is completely different.

Pan American
Pan Am Douglas DC-4. Colorized by Benoit Vienne

“When you see a colorized photo, you feel close to the people. You connect.”

But it is far from a simple process taking hours of meticulous work.

“Colorizing a black and white photo can take a lot of time and sometimes you have to repair it first, says Mr. Vienne.