My introduction to the stunningly beautiful Military Images Magazine (MI) began with a chance encounter at an antique store.

I was crouched over a dusty box of vintage photographs when a friendly man chatted me up. We had a nice conversation about our shared interest in history and vintage photography. We connected via Facebook and he invited me to join The Image Collector Facebook group that he runs. A prominent contributor to that group is the editor and publisher of Military Images, Ronald S. Coddington.

Military Images is “America’s only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.”

I immediately subscribed to the print magazine. It really is one of the most beautiful magazines I have seen, in addition to being superbly researched and informative. Plus, they have a very active Military Images Facebook Page with close to 100,000 followers.

Historically, Military Images had an editorial policy of not publishing photos using modern colorization techniques. Coddington announced a policy change starting with the Spring 2020 issue of MI:

“Beginning with this issue, colorized images will be allowed for education purposes. Any colorized image must be accompanied by the original uncolored image. Why the change? Color fills in gaps in a way our imagination cannot. You’ll see two examples in Brian T. White’s examination of the overcoat worn by U.S. Sharpshooters. Color reveals just how distinctly different their gray coats and green uniforms stand apart from the average Union soldier.”

We were happy and excited to help MI with this colorization collaboration. Below (along side the originals) are the professional colorization results done by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist.

Photo One - An Unidentified Sergeant

This unidentified sergeant, “displays civilian dueling pistols. His rank chevrons are sewn to the sleeves of his seamless gray felt overcoat. The cape has been removed.”

This photo is a “Ninth-plate ambrotype by D.O. Furnald of Manchester N.H. Author’s (Brian T. White) collection.” Colorized by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist.

Photo Two - An Earnest Sharpshooter

This sharpshooter, “sits with his baggy felt overcoat trimmed with green binding and rubber buttons painted gold for a more martial appearance.”

This photo is a, “Quarter-plate tintype by an anonymous photographer. Author’s (Briant T. White) collection.” Colorized by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist.

**“Seamless Sharpshooters: How a revolutionary breakthrough in garment design proved undesirable in war” by Brian T. White - Military Images (Spring 2020)**

We take the colorization work we do here at The Psychogenealogist very seriously. We strive to create colorizations that stir the imagination without sacrificing historical accuracy.

Working with Military Images brought that quest for historical accuracy to an entirely new level for us. To be able to consult with the expert in U.S. Civil War Sharpshooter overcoats was an invaluable experience. In fact, there were several back and forth edits made to get it “just right.” We hope you agree.

I highly recommend subscribing to Military Images. As mentioned, they produce a beautiful quarterly magazine as well premium, subscriber only content on their website.

You can use promo code “COLORIZE” to receive a 25 percent discount at their website store: shopmiltaryimages.com

Promo Code "Colorize" at Military Images

To learn more about our photo colorization pricing or to email us for a precise quote check below (if emailing make sure to attach your photo with any information you have that would help us make colorization decisions):

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Military Images Magazine Photo Colorization: U.S. Sharpshooters (1860s)

Two Civil War photo colorizations of U.S. Sharpshooters. This was a unique collaboration between us and Military Images, America’s only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.

Colorization in the Time of Coronavirus

As I write this the world is in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic. Professional photo colorization is literally the last thing anyone needs to be thinking about right now. But, I have some time on my hands. So here we are. Vote for the photo you would like to see colorized next.

Man Reads Florida Outdoors Magazine Underwater (1956)

Okkama Colorization at The Psychogenealogist of “Man reading the November 1956 Florida Outdoors magazine underwater at Silver Springs”. Original courtesy of the State Library and Archives of Florida.

Boy's Bulldog "Beauty" Wins British Dog Show (1928)

“A young boy clutches his winner of 42 first-place prizes - a bulldog, named Beauty - as he arrives at the London Bulldog Championship Show in 1928.” That, and the history of Spratt’s Dog Cakes! Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist (2020).

Home From War, A Soldier Visits His In-laws (1944)

This is an interesting grouping of men in my family tree. My grandfather, James William Halvangis (1920-1973) stands with his father in-law, two brothers in-law, and two nephews some time between 1943 and 1945. Photo was colorized by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist (2019).

Sweethearts Wed on Soggy Flint Michigan Day (1946)

It was a cool and wet Saturday afternoon at the corner of 5th Avenue and Saginaw Street in Flint, Michigan. On Saturday, May 4th, 1946, high school sweethearts, Betty Grace Sears (1924-1981) and Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015), were married at St. Michael Catholic Church.

15 Times in History When Santa Claus Was Really Embarrassed

We scoured the newspapers to find 15 times in history when “Santa Claus” found himself in some really embarrassing situations.

"Quiet on the set! . . . and, ACTION!" - Australian Actors (1900)

Colorized by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist (2019). The original black and white photograph shows Australian actors on a theater set playing cards around 1900.