J B White

Production of Colour Postcards from Black and White Photos

The Scott Monument

Method 2

Original (Sepia)    (8ins x 6.25 ins)

JB White - an original black and white photo used to produce a coloured postcard  -  Holyrrood Palace and Abbey

©  J B White, Dundee.  Reproduced with acknowledgement to Alastair Whaite.

Hand-Coloured Original Photo    (9.5 ins x 6.5 ins)

JB White - hand-coloured photo - an intermediate stage in producing a coloured postcard  -  Holyrrood Palace and Abbey

©  J B White, Dundee.  Reproduced with acknowledgement to Alastair Whaite.

Final Colour Postcard    (5.75 ins x 4 ins)

JB White - A coloured postcard  -  Holyrood Palace and Abbey ©

 

Production of Colour Postcards from Mono Postcards

The coloured postcard above was produced using Method 2 described on the Coloured Postcard History page.

Alastair White explains:

Method 2

From late 1940s

"We are in the late 1940s now.  Colour photography had not quite been properly invented and commercial letterpress colour printing was in its infancy.

A black and white print (retouched, either subtly or outrageously!) would be sent to a London studio for individual 'hand-colouring'.

From this one-off original, a set of four colour blocks would be produced, and from them the finished colour postcards printed.  They are fairly awful, I think you will agree, but must have fulfilled something or other at the time.

The minimum run was 5,000, though we did not go into profit until the second 5,000 because of the high original costs.

The artist, I remember went under the name of Godden-Kent Studios, in a street off Oxford Street, London, whose name escapes me.

Alastair White:  December 7, 2007

 

 

J B White (Dundee)

Thumbnail Images

Postcard Series

Company History

Coloured Postcard History

Trademarks

Postcard Numbering

 

 

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