Colorized Video Transports Viewers to Victorian England

If you only know the Victorian Era from faded daguerreotypes, you may view it as a drab time filled with humorless people. This enhanced video from Vintage Stories on YouTube shows that was far from the case. By colorizing historical clips, the editor has successfully brought turn-of-the-20th-century England into the present day.

The archival films used in the above compilation come from the Internet Archive. Originally shot in black and white, Vintage Stories enhanced and motion-stabilized the footage in addition to adding sound and color. 

The nine-minute video shows some extraordinary aspects of English life from as far back as 130 years ago. People traveled by horse and buggy or early automobiles, while fancy hats and furs were part of one’s everyday wardrobe. But the more mundane segments are just as striking. When you see people in Victorian garb laughing with one another, getting into fights, and pushing kids on swings, it’s easy to imagine them as people you know in the 21st century. 

You can watch the full colorized clip at the top of the article. Archival footage is the next best thing to a time machine, and thanks to the internet, it’s readily available from every era since motion pictures were invented. This video from a 1970s high school didn’t require colorization, but it’s just as surreal to watch today.