5 thoughts on “Midterm: Colorizing Boston During the Great Depression”
I found your project very fascinating, particularly on account of your use of AI to make the historic images of Boston come alive. The contrast of the original images that are in black and white to the colorized images gives one an easier picture of what the city looked like during the Great Depression. Another interesting point in your work is your acceptance of the fact that AI colors might not be historically correct.
Jack, I think your midterm project is awesome. When I think about the Great Depression, all I see in my head is black and white, which makes that time feel even drearier. This project allows that time period to come alive a little more, and it reminded me that though these people faced significant struggles, they still saw life in the same colors I do. I am glad you note that the coloring itself may not be historically accurate.
I really liked how your project balances the appeal of AI colorization with a clear awareness of its limits. Your focus on making Boston during the Great Depression feel more accessible and visually engaging is compelling, especially since you also emphasize that the colors are interpretations rather than historical facts. I also thought your explanation of the workflow was helpful because it shows how much thoughtful preparation went into the final presentation.
Great work on this! I love how colorizing these Library of Congress photos makes Great Depression-era Boston feel so much more immediate and approachable. Your point about AI colorization being an interpretive estimate rather than exact historical fact is a really smart critical distinction for Digital Humanities. Really impressive presentation!
It ‘s awesome how you made a project on the topic that you personally can relate to, as being from the Boston area. The thing I like is that in comparison to the black and white photos, colorized photos seem much more realistic. At the same time, it was interesting to me to find out that colors provided by AI do not have to be historically correct. Do you think colorization of historical photos using AI provides a better understanding of the past or can give people a distorted perception of it?
I found your project very fascinating, particularly on account of your use of AI to make the historic images of Boston come alive. The contrast of the original images that are in black and white to the colorized images gives one an easier picture of what the city looked like during the Great Depression. Another interesting point in your work is your acceptance of the fact that AI colors might not be historically correct.
Jack, I think your midterm project is awesome. When I think about the Great Depression, all I see in my head is black and white, which makes that time feel even drearier. This project allows that time period to come alive a little more, and it reminded me that though these people faced significant struggles, they still saw life in the same colors I do. I am glad you note that the coloring itself may not be historically accurate.
I really liked how your project balances the appeal of AI colorization with a clear awareness of its limits. Your focus on making Boston during the Great Depression feel more accessible and visually engaging is compelling, especially since you also emphasize that the colors are interpretations rather than historical facts. I also thought your explanation of the workflow was helpful because it shows how much thoughtful preparation went into the final presentation.
Great work on this! I love how colorizing these Library of Congress photos makes Great Depression-era Boston feel so much more immediate and approachable. Your point about AI colorization being an interpretive estimate rather than exact historical fact is a really smart critical distinction for Digital Humanities. Really impressive presentation!
It ‘s awesome how you made a project on the topic that you personally can relate to, as being from the Boston area. The thing I like is that in comparison to the black and white photos, colorized photos seem much more realistic. At the same time, it was interesting to me to find out that colors provided by AI do not have to be historically correct. Do you think colorization of historical photos using AI provides a better understanding of the past or can give people a distorted perception of it?