ColourisationsByhugh est.2020
ColourisationsByHugh is the birth-child of a hobby I had when studying at university. Before I had even the kit available to do my work, I spent a lot of my free time, no doubt much to the annoyance of my friends and family, writing ‘blog-esque’ posts about select photos from mainly the First and Second World Wars; in mid-2017 I set up a page for it, this became ‘Firstworldwar.history’
I had been inspired by a lot of centenary work coming out of media outlets during the remembrance seasons and wished to produce similar things in my own way; the problem was I just never quite knew how. I bought my first version of photoshop in April 2020 to have an element of control to what I could post and started teaching myself how to colourise.
I finished my first colourisation on April 22nd 2020 of my great grandfather, Francis Bishop who was a First World War cavalry and infantry veteran. I have sadly lost this original piece, but the source imagery remains as the figurehead for my page as a legacy ‘gemstone’. I remember being absolutely captivated by what I could achieved and overwhelmingly felt justice was being done to reinvigorating these photos long lost to time.
‘Firstworldwar.history’ was soon rebranded to ‘ColourisationsByHugh’ in the autumn of 2020 and this platform continues to be a place for me to premier my work.
This hobby is above all else the greatest embodiment of my passion for remembrance as I aim to splice together the most accurate ethically produced portrayal of how a photograph would have looked at the time of its capturing with elements of atmospherics to highlight emotional feelings. Choosing never the most excitable moments captured in wartime photography, I have always tried to prioritise the human elements of these moments and it is that same prospect of remembrance that continues to drive me through my work to this day.
If interested, you can find my page here:
A small selection of rich works:
The Colouriser’s Code of Conduct Est.2021
“A responsibly colourised photograph can act as a powerful supplement to an original historical document. The laborious process of research, restoration and application of colour by a skilled practitioner can potentially add context and information that offers an authentic interpretation that sits alongside the original.Technology acts as a tool to aid the derivative work, not be a replacement or substitute for the original work”
Founder of CCoC: Jordan Lloyd, April 22 2021
Visit here:
In a now removed article by Vice, colorised photographs by Irish artist Matt Loughrey were altered to add smiles to victims murdered by the Khmer Rouge, in a self proclaimed effort to humanise them. So, back in April 2021 Jordan conferred with originally 27 digital artists, myself included, about putting together what is essentially a morally bounding set of guidelines we use as digital artists, of which I am proud to say I cosigned as No.8. The eight point code acts as a framework to inform the individual responsible for colourising of how to act when altering original historical documents, with an emphasis on authenticity and honesty, ensuring attribution and working for the public good.
As of December 2025, this agreement now has accumulated 121 artists in total.
Advisory Work:
In early 2025 I was approached by Costume Designer and former colleague Neil Fortin for developmental counsel in his work on the then upcoming production of ‘HMS Pinafore‘ as hosted by Opera Grand Rapids, an American opera-house based out of Grand Rapids in Michigan State, USA.
Despite the satirical nature of the production, I took a lot of care to give a very in depth cover of:
- How to sport the attire
- The commonality of certain patches
- The heritage that comes with each piece which pulls together a naval uniform
Context is important, HMS Pinafore made its debut in London in 1878, and its overarching theme of forbidden love is a concept which transgresses time in an ageless fashion to today. This is what makes it as relatable as it was back in the Victorian Period.
[Pictured left: Neil Fortin, Lead Costume Designer in O.G.R.’s Production]
The costume design is non-traditional, and the majority of my counsel was centred around providing information on ceremonial uniforms which are currently in service in the Royal Navy of the 21st Century. Whilst the fundamentals of how to sport the attire were the cornerstone,
the work was a bit more than superficial and covered additional pieces such as where specific patches and badges should be worn and in what context they would be sported, which added depth to Neil’s detailed vision he wanted out of his own work.
Why bother though with the additional? Because as someone who sports the uniform in the real world, the representation of these articles though slightly modified means a lot to me even if this comes in a satirical nature; I would rather provide them with almost too much knowledge for them to make an accurate appraisal off their needs, rather than be underarmed and make unnecessary errors.