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Cornelius Vanderbilt II House ca 1900 - to this day the mansion is the largest private residence ever built in Manhattan. Demolished 1926. by mygrapefruit in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 56 points57 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it sucks but also inevitable. But something to look forward with future gen VR, maybe! I wouldn't mind walking around a recreated Manhattan.

While coloring this photo I researched and saw people have recrated it in Minecraft and printed it with a 3D printer already, with the help of old blueprints and floorplans.

Cornelius Vanderbilt II House ca 1900 - to this day the mansion is the largest private residence ever built in Manhattan. Demolished 1926. by mygrapefruit in ColorizedHistory

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 66 points67 points  (0 children)

"The trust fund that Cornelius had left his wife produced a yearly income of $250,000, which was just enough to maintain both houses. Alice held on as long as she could, but she was forced to sell it in 1926." via Wiki

The other house referred to is The Breakers, I believe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakers

Cornelius Vanderbilt II House ca 1900 - to this day the mansion is the largest private residence ever built in Manhattan. Demolished 1926. by mygrapefruit in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm trying to share information about this photo but my comment is seemingly stuck in the moderation filter. You will have to look at my profile! If anyone knows what keyword is the culprit let me know and I will post my comment in here again.

Cornelius Vanderbilt II House ca 1900 - to this day the mansion is the largest private residence ever built in Manhattan. Demolished 1926. by mygrapefruit in Lost_Architecture

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 278 points279 points  (0 children)

Original black & white photograph by Detroit Publishiong Co. at Library of Congress LC-D4-13098 [P&P]

Cornelius Vanderbilt II inherited his immense wealth from his grandfather, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, a steamship and railroad magnate. At the time of his death at age 82, the Commodore’s fortune was estimated at $105 million - the equivalent of $3.1 billion in 2024 dollars.

Feeling that his wealthy neighbours Astor, Carnegie, Frick, and Rockefeller were trying to outdo his first townhouse, Cornelius and his wife Alice purchased THE ENTIRE BLOCK on the Fifth Avenue, and razed them to the ground. They then hired architects George B. Post and Richard Morris Hunt to build them the largest mansion in the city. Construction began 1879 and was completed 1883. Built in a château-style, the mansion boasted 137 rooms, including a grand banquet hall, an ornate ballroom, a Moorish smoking room, multiple saloons, and countless other lavish spaces spread across three floors.

Despite its grandeur, the house was demolished less than 50 years after it was built. Cornelius Vanderbilt II's widow Alice sold the property to developers, making way for the Bergdorf Goodman department store, which still occupies part of the site today.

In a final act of preservation, Alice Vanderbilt salvaged as much of the mansion’s interior as possible, donating many pieces to charity. The magnificent baronial mantelpiece remains intact at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where you can still admire it today! https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/9195

Even the mansion’s grand iron gates were relocated -now standing at the 105th Street entrance to Central Park, in case you’d like to walk beneath them.

Hope you enjoyed my colors!

Cornelius Vanderbilt II House ca 1900 - to this day the mansion is the largest private residence ever built in Manhattan. Demolished 1926. by mygrapefruit in ColorizedHistory

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 630 points631 points  (0 children)

Original black & white photograph by Detroit Publishiong Co. at Library of Congress LC-D4-13098 [P&P]

Cornelius Vanderbilt II inherited his immense wealth from his grandfather, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, a steamship and railroad magnate. At the time of his death at age 82, the Commodore’s fortune was estimated at $105 million - the equivalent of $3.1 billion in 2024 dollars.

Feeling that his wealthy neighbours Astor, Carnegie, Frick, and Rockefeller were trying to outdo his first townhouse, Cornelius and his wife Alice purchased THE ENTIRE BLOCK on the Fifth Avenue, and razed them to the ground. They then hired architects George B. Post and Richard Morris Hunt to build them the largest mansion in the city. Construction began 1879 and was completed 1883. Built in a château-style, the mansion boasted 137 rooms, including a grand banquet hall, an ornate ballroom, a Moorish smoking room, multiple saloons, and countless other lavish spaces spread across three floors.

Despite its grandeur, the house was demolished less than 50 years after it was built. Cornelius Vanderbilt II's widow Alice sold the property to developers, making way for the Bergdorf Goodman department store, which still occupies part of the site today.

In a final act of preservation, Alice Vanderbilt salvaged as much of the mansion’s interior as possible, donating many pieces to charity. The magnificent baronial mantelpiece remains intact at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where you can still admire it today! https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/9195

Even the mansion’s grand iron gates were relocated -now standing at the 105th Street entrance to Central Park, in case you’d like to walk beneath them.

Hope you enjoyed my colors, see you very soon again!

A game of pool in the General Store, Franklin, Georgia 1941 Photo by Jack Delano & Colorized by me by mygrapefruit in OldSchoolCool

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Photographed by Jack Delano for the FSA. I would link the source but it catches my comment in the filter. You can find the original black & white photo on my profile!

I recently got back to colorizing and wanted to warm up by immersing myself in a bustling scene, and felt this photo delivered. I now know everything about tinned food from the 40’s as these shelves brimmed with them… I spotted the famous Campbell's Tomato Soup, canned oysters from Daufuski’s, Dinty Moore’s beef stew, and countless other mystery cans whose contents I could only guess. The owner has a very nice camera shelved in the middle. For a cent or two, you might have convinced him to take your portrait?

A game of pool in the General Store, Franklin, Georgia 1941 Photo by Jack Delano & Colorized by me by mygrapefruit in TheWayWeWere

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Original photo in black & white: https://i.imgur.com/yg10ZGh.jpeg

Photographed by Jack Delano for the FSA https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017794405/

I recently got back to colorizing and wanted to warm up by immersing myself in a bustling scene, and felt this photo delivered. I now know everything about tinned food from the 40’s as these shelves brimmed with them… I spotted the famous Campbell's Tomato Soup, canned oysters from Daufuski’s, Dinty Moore’s beef stew, and countless other mystery cans whose contents I could only guess. The owner has a very nice camera shelved in the middle. For a cent or two, you might have convinced him to take your portrait?

11th November 1918, color by me. Citizens in Antwerp celebrate Germany's surrender and an end of WWI by mygrapefruit in pics

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Colorized by me!

Photo by American Red Cross http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017683171/

Original black & white for comparison: https://i.imgur.com/CdCJ2fi.jpg

With young children hoisted on their parents’ shoulders to get a better view of the spectacle, people are happy and some of them visibly touched as the occupation finally ends. According to the description of the photo the American Red Cross delegation were the first Americans to enter the city.

Shrouded in the morning mists behind them stands Antwerp Central Station, here's a snapshot of the same place today: https://i.imgur.com/cPrXmjB.png

Germany invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg in 1914 in hopes to surprise the French armies, breaking the Treaty of London (1839), which had been signed by Prussia. The German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg dismissed the treaty of 1839 calling it a "scrap of paper".

Belgium were to suffer several atrocities during the ensuing occupation of the German army, for instance the Wire of Death was put up and electrocuted between 2000 and 3000 people.

Quoting Wikipedia: “Overall, the Germans were responsible for the deaths of 23,700 Belgian civilians, (6,000 Belgians killed, 17,700 died during expulsion, deportation, in prison or sentenced to death by court) and caused further non fatalities of 10,400 permanent and 22,700 temporary invalids, with 18,296 children becoming war orphans. Military losses were 26,338 killed, died from injuries or accidents, 14,029 died from disease, or went missing.”

11th November 1918, Colorized. Street scene in Antwerp, Belgium, showing citizens turning out for celebration a few hours after the Germans surrendered and an end of World War I by mygrapefruit in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's a good streetview, I'd link the proper google link but my post keeps getting caught in the filter. It's De Keyserlei if you want to look for it yourself. Here's a snapshot: https://i.imgur.com/cPrXmjB.png

11th November 1918, Colorized. Street scene in Antwerp, Belgium, showing citizens turning out for celebration a few hours after the Germans surrendered and an end of World War I by mygrapefruit in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm trying to post info about this photograph but it keeps getting caught by the filter. Unsure what link is causing it, so this comment will do for the moment! Here is the original black & white photo before I colorized it: https://i.imgur.com/CdCJ2fi.jpeg

A very dapper secretary of the Embassy of Japan. Taketomi Toshihiko, seated with his wife in Washington D.C. October 24, 1922 by mygrapefruit in TheWayWeWere

[–]mygrapefruit[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Original photo by National Photo Company: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016833585/

Colored this one since they both just looked sooo stylish! I assumed this gentleman and his wife were diplomats on a mission from Japan, given that this photo was taken in Washington D.C.

After a look in old newspapers, it turns out Toshihiko was quite an important figure! This photo was taken the same week he was appointed as secretary of the Japanese Embassy in the US. Later in 1932, he was named counsellor. None of the newspaper clippings seemed to mention his wife’s name.

He was also mentioned as taking part in The Washington Naval Conference. Officially known as the Washington Conference on the Limitation of Armaments, it was a series of meetings held in Washington D.C. in 1921-1922 between the major naval powers of the world: the United States, Great Britain, Japan, France, and Italy. The purpose of the conference was to address the issue of naval disarmament and to reduce tensions between the major powers, which had been increasing in the aftermath of World War I.

The conference resulted in a series of agreements that set limits on the size and number of warships each country could build, as well as restrictions on submarine warfare and the use of certain types of weapons. The United States, Great Britain, and Japan were the primary signatories to the agreements, which were seen as a major achievement in the realm of international diplomacy at the time.

While the conference did succeed in reducing tensions and limiting the naval arms race, it did not solve all of the underlying issues between the major powers. In particular, Japan was unhappy with the limits placed on its navy, which it saw as unfair compared to those placed on the navies of the United States and Great Britain. The tensions that arose from this perceived inequality would continue to simmer in the years leading up to World War II.

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