Iconic colorized art prints, proudly made in England.
Our passion for history runs as deep as our love of photography. It guides our curation of historical black and white photographs, images that capture our imagination and spark conversations about the places, people and events of the past that resonate today.
It’s the reason we devote ourselves to historical authenticity. Each photograph added to our catalogue undergoes a painstaking restoration process. By improving the condition of the image, we revive the details captured by the photographer all those years ago. Once they’re fully restored, the photographs are colorized by skilled digital artisans who draw on historical research and references.
This commitment to the past breathes new life into the wonderful images we select for our Collections without the bias of a nostalgic contemporary gaze.
It’s our privilege to offer these images as made-to-order art prints. It’s our respect for history and the craft of colorizing that we never compromise on quality. We’ve selected premium inks and heavyweight archival paper stock to ensure our prints last a lifetime.
Before they are shipped, each print is hand-finished at a specialist studio in St. Leonards-on-Sea on the south coast of England. We emboss and certify each one as a mark of quality that says to our customers you own a piece of history and it’s really quite special.
A CRAFT TRADITION
Over a century ago, it was discovered how to record light through the invention of the camera. Soon after, a class of skilled artisans developed laborious hand-painting techniques and photomechanical innovations to overcome the limitations of early black and white photography: the lack of colour. They aimed to bridge the gap between the high definition colour we observe in the world with our own eyes and what the camera recorded.
This work continues today. Like those before them, a new generation of digital artisans use colour to interpret an image as the photographer wished to capture it. While some images were produced black and white for artistic reasons, most historical colour-less photography is the product of limitations, technological and financial.
The techniques have advanced, but the purpose remains the same. Only now, and for the first time, colorized images authentically depict a moment in history as the photographer might have seen it through the viewfinder of their camera.
MADE BY THE SEA
Hastings & St. Leonards-on-Sea. Photo by Ben Guerin on Unsplash
ColorGraph Co. grew out of the professional colorization work of Jordan J. Lloyd. As requests for prints of his work flowed in, Jordan recognised the shared interest in historic black and white photographs. The significant moments, figures and places that captivated him resonated with others and often in deeply personal ways. Seeing them restored and in colour with historical fidelity made them even more compelling.
Jordan decided to sell his work and that of other digital artisans to the public. Motivated by a respect for the subject matter and the professional craft of colorizing, he committed to producing long-lasting prints of outstanding quality.
Achieving that standard was the result of Jordan’s partnership with Paul Thomas at Silverhill Studios in St. Leonards-on-Sea. Working closely with Paul and his team, Jordan found the paper stock and inks that would deliver the vibrance and durability of a museum-grade art print.
From start to finish, a ColorGraph print is made with exceptional care and attention. To mark its provenance, Jordan and the Silverhill Studio team decided to emboss each one in the final stage of the hand-finishing process. This and the accompanying Certificate of Authenticity marks the ColorGraph you hang on the walls of your home or gift to a valued friend, family member or colleague as a genuine ColorGraph.
Find our more about our prints here.THE PAST BROUGHT TO LIFE
Our prints begin as high-resolution scans of black and white images hand-picked from archives all over the world.
After a comprehensive assessment, each photograph undergoes a full digital cleanup to restore it to its original condition. Intricate adjustments are made to optimise the photograph for printing, while AI-based tools allow artisans to enlarge it without any loss in quality. That's why our prints in larger sizes, like the XXL (A0) prints, are so compelling.
Once they’re fully restored, the photographs are colorized by hand. This process is undertaken by experienced artisans drawing on historical references and precedents. By underpinning the colorization process in contextual research, we can ensure period authenticity.
Finally, the image is reproduced as a made-to-order print at a specialist studio on the south coast of England.
The result? A genuine ColorGraph print that brings the past to life in stunning richness and detail in celebration of history. Whether you’re a history lover or want a novel conversation-starter, a professional interior designer looking to impress, or searching for a meaningful gift to mark a special occasion, we look forward to shipping your made-to-order print.
More information about shipping and returns can be found here.