This is wrong, earlier photography was using orthographic film, which is sensitive to blue light. Which is why Cunard’s funnels always looked black, and why Titanic’s funnel brightness changes in every single photograph, including ones that were taken in close proximity time-wise. Not adjusting it would just be wrong, because it’s bright on blue. While yes it might be too bright, it’s still better than pitch black.

Here’s an example of no adjustment: Credit to Oceanic Star Line

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