Classic Kodachrome Monday #82

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Photo Time

Classic Kodachrome Monday #81

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: The Monument

Classic Kodachrome Monday #80

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: In the shadows

Kodachrome Classic Monday #79

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Mountain Town

Classic Kodachrome Monday #78

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Forms of Transit.

Classic Kodachrome Monday #77

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Hustle and Bustle

Classic Kodachrome Monday #76

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Around the Post Office

Classic Kodachrome Monday #75

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Summertime in the South

Kodachrome Classic Monday #74

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: The Colors of the 1950's mountainside

Kodachrome Classic Monday #73

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Dawning of an Icon

Classic Kodachrome Monday #72

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Hustle and Bustle

Classic Kodachrome Monday #71

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Commercial Crossroads

Classic Kodachrome Monday #70

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: At the Foot of the Mountain.

Restoration Baltimore: 1947 in Color (Part 1)

Anyone who follows this page with any degree of regularity knows that I completely love vintage color slides of scenes taken around the 1940's and 1950's.  

And many know that I've a certain fondness for scenes in and around my hometown of Baltimore.

But what few people may know is just how tough it is to find original color slides taken in the Monumental City amid the heyday of these decades.  It seems one can readily find original color slides of big cities such as Chicago and New York, while one can also find many scenes of small town life with some searching.  I've managed to assemble an interesting collage of images spanning all the way from California to Florida, and from Montana to Texas.

But still, original scenes of my hometown in color have been terribly elusive.  I've managed at times to find a few, such as from atop Federal Hill, near the Harbor Tunnel, and along the city's streetcar lines, but slice of life scenes of Downtown in color have been all but non-existent.

And then there they were.  Five scenes taken in Baltimore on original color slides, and available for auction.  I dug in, placed my bid and won these rare images.  Finally, I had some shots of Charm City similar to those I'd feature weekly on my Kodachrome features.

But the only problem is that they weren't Kodachromes.  These were taken on much more unstable Ansco stock, and the color had shifted pretty drastically.  In addition, the emulsion had signs of serious damage from the decades.  Making these images into something presentable would require me to try to use most of the tricks I had learned about scanning and restoring images.  These would require significant time and effort, but I felt they were worth it.  

Below are two of the results of this restoration project, showing an unrestored original scan, and the final results below, as well a street view inlay to show what the viewpoint looks like today.  I hope you feel these were as worth the effort as I did.   

Classic Kodachrome Monday #63

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Welcome to Sunny California

Classic Kodachrome Monday #62

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: The Bridges of Madison Fairfield County

Classic Kodachrome Monday #61

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Cold Crisp Day

Classic Kodachrome Monday #60

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Afternoon Shadows

Classic Kodachrome Monday #59

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Busy Thorofare

Classic Kodachrome Monday #58

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: Sunny Day at the Harbor