Someone shared this page of "colorized" photos from the past, and I have to admit that the people look less "iconic" and more "real." Somehow. Does B&W make a photo more artistic but less "real?"
By the way, the link you provide just points back to this page, not the reference I think you desire.
Black & White has been "the norm" in photography for much longer than has color, especially in the realm of photo-journalism. B&W is certainly an abstraction of "reality" in the sense that all colors of the same lightness are mapped to the same grey tone, and even that is manipulated with custom greyscale maps (in the digital world) and colored filters (in the classic film world). But its prevalence at the root of our art/craft has definitely influenced the tradition that considers B/W as more authoritative, more real, or even perhaps more legitimate, than color. Even today. The issue is discussed very well in several places as "Black & White as Normality" in the excellent book by Michael Freeman "The Complete Guide to Black & White Digital Photography."
There are some interesting interpretations - some I liked, some not so much. If you can find a copy of the Freeman book it is well worth reading. I think it depends on the individual photograph if it works BW or col. After viewing the colourised photos I understand your comments Kathryn!
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Black & White has been "the norm" in photography for much longer than has color, especially in the realm of photo-journalism. B&W is certainly an abstraction of "reality" in the sense that all colors of the same lightness are mapped to the same grey tone, and even that is manipulated with custom greyscale maps (in the digital world) and colored filters (in the classic film world). But its prevalence at the root of our art/craft has definitely influenced the tradition that considers B/W as more authoritative, more real, or even perhaps more legitimate, than color. Even today. The issue is discussed very well in several places as "Black & White as Normality" in the excellent book by Michael Freeman "The Complete Guide to Black & White Digital Photography."
There are some interesting interpretations - some I liked, some not so much. If you can find a copy of the Freeman book it is well worth reading. I think it depends on the individual photograph if it works BW or col. After viewing the colourised photos I understand your comments Kathryn!