Dignity brought to life: Colorized photographs show the everyday life of African Americans who lived side by side with immigrants in Jim Crow-era Nebraska

  • Black and white images of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1910-1925 during the New Negro Movement, have been colorized by an online group
  • African American photographer John Johnson took hundreds of photographs as an amateur of the town's immigrant and African American communities on their porches and in front of makeshift backdrops
  • His photographs dignify those small communities at a time when Lincoln had a significant KKK presence and segregation and Jim Crow laws were prevalent 

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Mamie Griffin sits tall in her chair, her posture almost perfect, her head leaned slightly to the side. Her right arm is crossed over her left hand, holding up a copy of the book The Wife of Monte Cristo, her confident gaze looks straight through the image from 1914. In color, she comes even more to life in her green dress with crochet lace detailing, her book more obvious in bright hues.

This photo of Mamie Griffin, an African American cook in Lincoln, Nebraska, is one of a series of images that have been colorized by members of the Facebook group 'Teach me to color', where members help each other with colorizing old black and white photos. The original images in this series are black and white glass negatives that focus on African Americans in Lincoln from 1910-1925, during what was known as the New Negro Movement.

That movement, which gave African Americans the chance to speak for themselves, was happening across the US despite segregation and Jim Crow laws. The New Negro Movement was often focused on large cities, with portraits being taken in professional studios, but in Lincoln, African American photographer John Johnson was taking his photographs on people's porches and inside their homes.

Mamie Griffin (pictured) was a cook and she and her husband Edward, a waiter at the Lincoln Hotel, lived at 915 U Street in Lincoln, a dirt street among railroad tracks
This colorized image of Mamie Griffin is one of a set of black and white glass negatives that have been colorized by members of the Facebook group 'Teach me to color'. The originals were part of a series of photographs of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1910-1925, during what was known as the New Negro Movement. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com
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 This colorized image of Mamie Griffin is one of a set of black and white glass negatives that have been colorized by members of the Facebook group 'Teach me to color'. The originals were part of a series of photographs of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1910-1925, during what was known as the New Negro Movement. Mamie Griffin was a cook and she and her husband Edward, a waiter at the Lincoln Hotel, lived at 915 U Street in Lincoln, a dirt street among railroad tracks. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Lori Zaza, a digital colorist from the Chicago area and a member of ‘Teach me to color’, saw Johnson’s photographs and fell in love with them. She colored a number of the negatives, including the left side of this glass plate, on which Johnson exposed two images

Lori Zaza, a digital colorist from the Chicago area and a member of 'Teach me to color', saw Johnson's photographs and fell in love with them. She colored a number of the negatives, including the left side of this glass plate, on which Johnson exposed two images

Zaza says this is one of her favorite images that she colorized, particularly because of the antique vases and flowers on the porch with the unidentified young woman. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Zaza says this is one of her favorite images that she colorized, particularly because of the antique vases and flowers on the porch with the unidentified young woman. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

After the Civil War ended in 1865, many African Americans moved out of the South and a small population came to Lincoln. By 1900, the Nebraska town had a population of 40,000, which included a small community of about 1,000 African Americans as well as a significant immigrant community, primarily made up of Russian-German immigrants.

Jim Crow laws and segregation were prevalent in the Midwestern state, despite being far from the South. Lincoln had a significant KKK presence, interracial marriage was illegal and African Americans were given limited housing and job opportunities. Despite those restrictions, Johnson took hundreds of photographs of everyday people from those communities, giving them dignity and respect at a time when they received little of either from the rest of society.

Doug Keister, 69, discovered a set of 280 of Johnson's glass negatives when he was 17. Today, with the help of Nebraska historians who have also discovered sets of Johnson's negatives and photographs, Keister is trying to identify the people in the pictures. Historians working on the project know of at least 500 photographs and negatives, though they expect there could be more.

Last year, after DailyMail.com published a selection of Johnson's black and white negatives, the colorization Facebook group 'Teach me to color' asked Keister if some of the group's members could colorize the images for practice and he said yes. The 1,100-member group is made up of people learning how to digitally restore and colorize old photos. Lori Zaza, a digital colorist from the Chicago area and a member of 'Teach me to color', saw Johnson's photographs and fell in love with them.

'I noticed that with them being glass negatives, they have somewhat of a higher tonal range and detail over other forms of photography,' she tells DailyMail.com. 'It's just quite different from the digital photography that's today, the depth.'

She adds: 'I have great admiration for what Doug is doing with the collection. He's not only trying to identify the people, the subjects in the photos, but also trying to locate descendants of people in the photos and researching the history and conditions of the small town in Nebraska around that time period. I think it's awesome what he's doing.'

Cora and Alonzo (Lon) Thomas operated a small grocery from the front room of this house at 715 C Street. Four of their five children are pictured here. Baby Lonnie, born in 1909, sits on Herschel's lap. Agnes stands at left, and eldest son Wendell stands at the center. The young man at right is probably Lucius Knight, their mother's half brother. Wendell worked a typical variety of jobs in Lincoln including as a waiter, clerk, porter, laborer, and janitor, before founding the Thomas Funeral Home in Omaha
The Thomas family and many other African American families lived in the South Bottoms, a neighborhood mainly of Germans from Russia, Lincoln's largest immigrant group. The little blonde girl is three-year-old Marie Busche, daughter of German immigrant Fred Busche. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com
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Cora and Alonzo (Lon) Thomas operated a small grocery from the front room of this house at 715 C Street. Four of their five children are pictured here. Baby Lonnie, born in 1909, sits on Herschel's lap. Agnes stands at left, and eldest son Wendell stands at the center. The young man at right is probably Lucius Knight, their mother's half brother. Wendell worked a typical variety of jobs in Lincoln including as a waiter, clerk, porter, laborer, and janitor, before founding the Thomas Funeral Home in Omaha. The Thomas family and many other African American families lived in the South Bottoms, a neighborhood mainly of Germans from Russia, Lincoln's largest immigrant group. The little blonde girl is three-year-old Marie Busche, daughter of German immigrant Fred Busche. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Manilla Jewett is pictured wearing a shirtdress. She was a Lincoln High graduate and worked as a theater usher. In 1921 she married a young AME pastor. They served in Duluth, Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids, where she passed away
Manilla was born in an Iowa coal mining town and raised in the uniquely integrated coal mining town of Buxton, Iowa. Her father, Alfred, died in 1905 and her mom a few years later. By 1917 she had arrived in Lincoln and was her school's participant in the state spelling bee. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Manilla Jewett is pictured wearing a shirtdress. She was a Lincoln High graduate and worked as a theater usher. In 1921 she married a young AME pastor. They served in Duluth, Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids, where she passed away. She was born in an Iowa coal mining town and raised in the uniquely integrated coal mining town of Buxton, Iowa. Her father, Alfred, died in 1905 and her mom a few years later. By 1917 she had arrived in Lincoln and was her school's participant in the state spelling bee. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

In this picture, Johnson captures a picnic from someone's backyard. Johnson was sure to pose the ten picnickers and the pitbull terrier so that everyone can be seen. The benches have been angled out and it is suspected that the couple standing at the head of the table are the hosts
Colorization by George Wellman
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In this picture, Johnson captures a picnic from someone's backyard. Johnson was sure to pose the ten picnickers and the pitbull terrier so that everyone can be seen. The benches have been angled out and it is suspected that the couple standing at the head of the table are the hosts. Colorization by George Wellman

Walter R Colley (1871-1970) is pictured sitting right, with his wife Lula (1875-1958) sitting left. Walter's son-in-law Clyde Malone (1890-1951) is standing behind him. Between Walter and Lula is their daughter Izetta (1892-1966). Clyde was 20 and Izetta 18 when they married in 1910, around the time this photograph was taken
Clyde and Izetta's marriage lasted over 40 years until Clyde's death in 1951. Clyde was born in Lincoln to Frank and Pency Malone. His father was a plasterer. Lula and Walter moved their family from Lexington, Missouri, to Lincoln in 1905. Colorization by George Wellman

Walter R Colley (1871-1970) is pictured sitting right, with his wife Lula (1875-1958) sitting left. Walter's son-in-law Clyde Malone (1890-1951) is standing behind him. Between Walter and Lula is their daughter Izetta (1892-1966). Clyde was 20 and Izetta 18 when they married in 1910, around the time this photograph was taken. Their marriage lasted over 40 years until Clyde's death in 1951. Clyde was born in Lincoln to Frank and Pency Malone. His father was a plasterer. Lula and Walter moved their family from Lexington, Missouri, to Lincoln in 1905. Colorization by George Wellman

Zaza has been colorizing photos for over three years now. She has had a passion for family history and genealogy for the last ten years and stumbled upon colorization tutorials when she was doing research on photo restoration and preservation for some of her old family pictures. She was immediately interested in the colorizing process and began studying different procedures.

'After I got my own technique in coloring, I felt that it was breathing new life into old family photos,' she says. 'Often times, small details emerge that you wouldn't ordinarily have noticed in the black and white photos.' 

The colorization process can take a long time, Zaza says, depending on the amount of research needed to get the colors right and the details in the images. Zaza says her goal is to make her colorizations are as natural and realistic as possible.

In order to do that, digital colorists research shades and hues that would have been used around the time the photograph was taken. Some subject matters, such as military uniforms, can require more thorough research that takes longer to ensure the accuracy of the colors.

'Some things you just have to guess based on the era,' Zaza says. 'Other times, I learn from the client as far as hair and eye color or perhaps they remembered what color dress the person was wearing, but when they don't know, based on the year that the photo was taken, I can research and find out what colors were popular at that time. I can look at old catalogs, things like that.'

When it comes to colorizing, that process also varies, depending on how detailed the photograph is. Zaza says the colors are added in layers to a copy of the original, which remains untouched. Each color has its own layer over the image. To color an entire photograph, which Zaza always does, it can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week to complete.

This unknown boy is pictured holding these two hounds on what appears to be their doghouse. Johnson often photographed children with dignity
Colorization by Karen Pearson
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This unknown boy is pictured holding these two hounds on what appears to be their doghouse. Johnson often photographed children with dignity. Colorization by Karen Pearson

Kit Carriger (1893-1981) married George Evans (1874-1945) around 1919. They were very active in Newman Methodist Episcopal Church. George was a charter member of Lincoln's black Masonic lodge and worked for many years as a chauffeur and houseman for CB Towle, a manufacturer. Widowed for 36 years, Kit cooked for a fraternity. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Florence Jones (left), Elenora 'Kit' Carriger (right) and a woman believed to be Kit's mother Alice (center) are pictured in front of a makeshift backdrop. Kit Carriger (1893-1981) married George Evans (1874-1945) around 1919. They were very active in Newman Methodist Episcopal Church. George was a charter member of Lincoln's black Masonic lodge and worked for many years as a chauffeur and houseman for CB Towle, a manufacturer. Widowed for 36 years, Kit cooked for a fraternity. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Frances Hill (1904-1932) is pictured inside what is believed to be the home of John C and Mabel Galbreath, with whom Hill lived for most of the 1920s. Frances married Bert Taylor around 1929 or 1930 and moved to New York City, where she died in 1932
Photographing in homes posed special challenges in the days of bulky view cameras and flash powder. Johnson apparently took few interior photographs but accomplished some effective images. If the rings on both hands are an indication of marriage, this may be one of the very latest Johnson images. Colorization by Melanie Arrowood
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Frances Hill (1904-1932) is pictured inside what is believed to be the home of John C and Mabel Galbreath, with whom Hill lived for most of the 1920s. Frances married Bert Taylor around 1929 or 1930 and moved to New York City, where she died in 1932. Photographing in homes posed special challenges in the days of bulky view cameras and flash powder. Johnson apparently took few interior photographs but accomplished some effective images. If the rings on both hands are an indication of marriage, this may be one of the very latest Johnson images. Colorization by Melanie Arrowood

As she goes through the process, Zaza says she often wonders about the people in the photographs.

'Sometimes when I'm working on a photo, I might wonder how things were in that time, what the person may have been thinking,' Zaza says. 'I especially like to color eyes, all the while wishing I could see just a glimpse of what they have seen.'

She adds: 'I also enjoy the end results of my colorization. You notice details that you wouldn't have ordinarily seen when it was black and white. Sometimes I zoom way in to a photo and I was like, oh, there's something in the background I hadn't seen when I just glanced at the photo. And like I said, I just think that it brings them back to life.'

Among the images in Doug's collection that Zaza colorized, her particular favorite was of a young woman sitting in a chair on a porch. The original glass negative had two portraits of the woman from different angles, showing that Johnson knew how to expose two images on one plate. Zaza colored one of the portraits, that has two antique vases with flowers on the porch as well. The young woman, wearing a headband and a long, beaded necklace, has not been identified.

'I just loved everything about it,' she says. 'But I love all the photos. I mean, unless I'm drawn to a picture, I really won't color it.'

Florence Jones (later Clark) is pictured right with an unidentified friend sitting on a hammock. Florence was a student at Park and McKinley Elementary Schools and Lincoln High School. She graduated in 1923
Colorization by Beth Crowe
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Florence Jones (later Clark) is pictured right with an unidentified friend sitting on a hammock. Florence was a student at Park and McKinley Elementary Schools and Lincoln High School. She graduated in 1923. Colorization by Beth Crowe

Lincoln, Nebraska city workers are pictured in front of the city hall, with photographer John Johnson standing in the center, behind another worker
Johnson took hundreds of photographs of the African American and immigrant communities in Lincoln, documenting everyday life in those communities while dignifying the subjects. Colorization by Beth Crowe
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Lincoln, Nebraska city workers are pictured in front of the city hall, with photographer John Johnson standing in the center, behind another worker. Johnson took hundreds of photographs of the African American and immigrant communities in Lincoln, documenting everyday life in those communities while dignifying the subjects. Colorization by Beth Crowe

A Volga German family is pictured. African Americans and immigrants lived together in an area of Lincoln, Nebraska known as Russian Bottoms, so named because of a large population of Volga Germans (Germans from Russia) who came there in the latter part of the 19th century
Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com
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A Volga German family is pictured. African Americans and immigrants lived together in an area of Lincoln, Nebraska known as Russian Bottoms, so named because of a large population of Volga Germans (Germans from Russia) who came there in the latter part of the 19th century. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Pictured is the wreckage of locomotive 2040 on November 14, 1910. While this scene includes human spectators in the left background, the photographer has positioned the camera so that the two handcars in the right foreground also appear to be observing the fallen steam engine.  One of the derailed cars in the background is painted with the initials CRI&P of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. A rail-mounted crane is in the process of lifting the tender away from its wrecked locomotive
Rock Island Railroad built its line through Lincoln in 1892, the last of several railroads to add service to Lincoln. Abandoned in the 1970s, the Rock Island right-of-way is now one of several bicycle trails through the city. Colorization by Beth Crowe
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Pictured is the wreckage of locomotive 2040 on November 14, 1910. While this scene includes human spectators in the left background, the photographer has positioned the camera so that the two handcars in the right foreground also appear to be observing the fallen steam engine. One of the derailed cars in the background is painted with the initials CRI&P of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. A rail-mounted crane is in the process of lifting the tender away from its wrecked locomotive. Rock Island Railroad built its line through Lincoln in 1892, the last of several railroads to add service to Lincoln. Abandoned in the 1970s, the Rock Island right-of-way is now one of several bicycle trails through the city. Colorization by Beth Crowe

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