BETWEEN us, Colin Fairweather and I own more than 1,000 glass negatives, going back to the 1890s ­— and of course, they are all black and white.

Today, though, it’s easy to ‘colourise’ them using online tools.

The results are impressive in their own way, and though it’s true they add a depth that black and white lacks, no-one would claim the results are particularly lifelike.

I’ve colourised a few online, given them a further polish in Photoshop, and here they are.

The two ladies with the car were photographed at Afton Manor ­— we have a whole series of plates taken there in the early 1900s by someone in the family who owned a top quality glass plate camera.

At the wheel is Miss Muriel Tankard, soon to be Mrs Frank Cheverton, of Cheverton Motors fame.

The car, DL 488, is a 1912 Humber Tourer, which cost £425 ­— eight years’ wage for many people.

Moving clockwise, still in Edwardian times, is a plate labelled ‘Workmen at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, Ryde,’ better known as the Prince Consort Buildings.

The glass negative is a massive 12x8 inch, and it is possible to zoom in to every detail of the men’s clothes.

It would have been a very expensive photo, posing the question, what had the men done to warrant it?

Next, is a wonderful photograph of day trippers on Ryde Pier, taken by William Hogg ­— a name well known to postcard collectors.

It is undated, but was probably taken in 1907 ­— the year of The Fleet Review.

Finally, the last plate was taken for the County Press in August, 1929.

The caption read, ‘In St Thomas Square, Newport, preparations are made for the IW Automobile Club childrens’ outing. Happy days.

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