Is there a simple technique to determine if a 60 year old photo is color or black and white? The photo is someone great, great, grandfather. The whole photo has a yellowish color over it, and it is hard to tell if it was once a color or black and white.

Gerald McClaren

So if my math is good this AM, that would make it about 1947?

Is it some kind of candid photo or is it a more formal portrait kind of thing?

Color prints where kind of new at that time and usually reservered for more "important" images like portraits or some such, not snapshots. Also, a lot of the "color" images where actually hand tinted, not real color photography like we think of today, and since they where more expensive again usually saved for the more important images.

It has been my experience that usually color images do not fade to yellow (black and whites are more prone to do so) they seem to go to a reddish color. The hand tinted ones sometimes fade back so that the color remains even tho the image behind it is going away. Also remember that many of the hand tinted ones where done on a black and white image that was sepia toned so the image might have that kind of color to it.

So the answer to your question is no! :depressed Hope all of that does help somewhat.

Hi! Mike, This is the photo I'm talking about. I did a color correction and didn't seem to have any color to me.


Gerald McClaren

From what I can see, it looks like Black and White. It also looks older than 1947? I am not that good at judging clothing styles, but there are those on here that are.

yup, black and white all the way. and my guess is it's older also. i'd put this more at 1927 or perhaps '37, though the boots/shoes do look a touch more contemporary. it's the decorations, which look art deco and the rest of the clothing that makes me think it's older. but, that's just a guess. you might post it in the history forum and see if anyone can date it more accurately.

but definitely black and white.