Paint photographs

[MargeB]

I have a nice photograph, a landscape, that appears to be about 60 years old. It has a section across the bottom which has become "silvery", is this just part of the photo process or overexposure to light over the years?
It's a really nice photo, but I think some of the colors (trees and clouds) have been doctored. Was this a normal practice? What is the name of the process of doing this?
Many thanks.

[Grunty]

When I was a child in the 1950s I had a set of coloured pencils.  Also in the set was a bottle of yellow liquid which I would spread over photographs with cotton wool before colouring them with the pencils.  I don't know what the liquid was, but the pencils at least were from the Lakeland pencil company of Keswick.  I don't think I have any surviving photos, and don't know how they age.  Film was black and white in those days, so any colouring has been applied afterwards.

[MargeB]

TYVM Grunty. It is black and white, and coloured afterwards, now I look. Is there a name for this?

[graemer]

Marge it's called photo tinting. It was done with special inks (which you can still purchase at some craft/art shops). However the effect is now done digitally. Here are examples:

http://www.fostergraphics.com/phototinting.htm

Google also has info about doing it yourself.

[MargeB]

TY Graeme. I always wanted to visit hawaii...until I saw that!
You know that oxide stuff that leaves the strange silver luminescene on photos.....when did that stop being used, or having that effect?

[graemer]

Sorry Marge, that question's beyond me I'm afraid, maybe a photographer could look in to it and let us know what develops.

ps I thought the Hawaiian beauties were quite fetching.