Incredible 3D Colour Images From 1850s Japan

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: markosity1973

Best 3D individual photos on a flat screen, how was that done and why haven't all cameras used this technique? And how was the colour added??? This is a fine thread. And yes, the guy on the far left in the first photo is a ghost, an ancestor of the guy in front of him no doubt (Boo!).

It is two images slightly off in angle that were traditionally viewed through a stereoscope as explained in the OP. The only reason it comes out 3D on the computer is that the gif plays both images at a speed that your left and right eye trick your brain into seeing them roughly the same way. Any modern camera-pair setup could be used to take a similar photos.

I assume they were colorized using standard colorization techniques (probably digital nowadays). Basically choosing colors and painting by hand with the aid of software.

Those are beautiful and quite extraordinary.

a reply to: Halfswede

ty for the explanation

a reply to: Kapusta

These are fantastic, I learn something new (to me) every day.

Thank you for sharing.

Geishas were some good looking girls

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: markosity1973

Best 3D individual photos on a flat screen, how was that done and why haven't all cameras used this technique? And how was the colour added??? This is a fine thread. And yes, the guy on the far left in the first photo is a ghost, an ancestor of the guy in front of him no doubt (Boo!).

Stereoscopic images work by taking two photos at slightly different angles and then switching between them rapidly. Because of the angle you get increasing distortion as the photo becomes wider so the technique works best with tall and narrow photos and worst with wide photos. It also works best if your eye is drawn to the center of the photo.

All cameras don't use this technique because of the limitations on the photos, it also requires two lenses. A variation on the technique is what allows for filming in 3d today except that shows a different image to each eye in order to remove the flicker, here both eyes see both images.

These images are actually quite easy to make, you can even reproduce it on individual photos using a tilt and converting the two resulting tilted images to a gif though it's not quite the same thing.

a reply to: Kapusta

My thoughts? Sorry to say but the photos are most likely a fake. The very first color photo was was taken by Thomas Sutton in 1861 so anything taken in the 1850s must have been changed and had color added in recent years by computer. I doubt that 3D was available then, but even so, these photos are truly enhanced and modified, probably not even the originals.

originally posted by: FrankPoster
a reply to: Kapusta

My thoughts? Sorry to say but the photos are most likely a fake. The very first color photo was was taken by Thomas Sutton in 1861 so anything taken in the 1850s must have been changed and had color added in recent years by computer. I doubt that 3D was available then, but even so, these photos are truly enhanced and modified, probably not even the originals.

The 3d technique was around back then as was explained in my above post. The color I can't say anything about.

a reply to: Kapusta

Now I have motion sickness.

cool pics

a reply to: Kapusta

How much they have missed.

D'you think Nintendo's inventor is in one of those pics?

S&F

originally posted by: FrankPoster
a reply to: Kapusta

My thoughts? Sorry to say but the photos are most likely a fake. The very first color photo was was taken by Thomas Sutton in 1861 so anything taken in the 1850s must have been changed and had color added in recent years by computer. I doubt that 3D was available then, but even so, these photos are truly enhanced and modified, probably not even the originals.

Nonsense. These are clearly hand painted, which was actually very popular in the 1800s, and even had a movement in Japan. en.wikipedia.org...

It's probably a long exposure time and the man in question stepped into the picture while the photo was already in progress. a reply to: proob4

When I was around 9 or 10, my Uncle used to draw in colors on black and white with colored pencils. Only a kid, I thought they were color pictures. Black and white, Kodak and Brownie were all the rage then, but these were so well done that they looked like actual untouched photos.

originally posted by: EA006
a reply to: Kapusta

How much they have missed.

D'you think Nintendo's inventor is in one of those pics?

lmao. Maybe.

NOTE: I couldn't find any info on who exactly the people were and what role they played in the photo .

The guys in the first photo have top knots, which was a kind of coming of age type thing for certain familys in the village, a law was passed in around 1868 the begining of the Meiji Restoration period to have the Topknot abolished, which caused uproar in some places, these guys where definatley fighters of some description, but without knowing what area of Japan these pictures where taken it would be near imposible to say what style, they were more than likeley Samurai decendants though looking at what they are wearing.
cool pics thanks for sharing

These are really cool and the fact that they are so old and had that technology then. Thanks for sharing with us.

a reply to: Kapusta

This is beautiful. When I see images like this I get an overwhelming sense that I was born into the wrong time period.

Don't get me wrong, I feel blessed to have been born in America, I just have this constant tugging from within that I was meant to live in the mid 19th century or so.

It's like we say about some forward thinkers that they were ahead of their time. I guess I'm the opposite.

Dang I was about to post that yesterday but got busy S&F!! OP

a reply to: GordoSan

I was just thinking to myself, "Wow! I had no idea color photography was available in the 1850s." Looking at more hand-painted photos, that seems to be the case. The pictures are, at any rate, beautiful.