It is a titanic work, a consuming passion. Since 2012, when he left his postman post for a well-deserved retirement, Pascal Bertrand has been spending all his free time finding and restoring old postcards and black and white photos of Thionville. The 65-year-old collector from Thionville, who now has more than 10,000 subscribers on his page Dedicated Facebook , tells how he got hold of the colorization virus. “I have in my possession about 500 postcards from Thionville, the oldest dating from 1886. I also have original period newspapers and a hundred books on the history of Thionville,” he says. he. At first I was just collecting, but over the last year I have started coloring black and white photos. I’ve already done 1,200. It’s a crazy job! To do well, Pascal Bertrand therefore uses specific software. But before being colorized, each photo must be cleaned up and restored. “Initially, the colorization is automatic,” explains the specialist. Obviously, some colors are not immediately respected. For example, the software will not recognize the Moselle. He will confuse it with a field and color it green. So it’s up to me to take it back, to retouch it. The most complicated, for Pascal, remains the uniforms, especially those of the German soldiers of the Great War and the Second World War. It’s not easy to shade the verdigris! And what about General de Gaulle’s outfit on a visit to Thionville? “We cannot leave room for approximation. You have to be fair. “
–
The right color of the 2CV
For cars, like this Citroën 2CV parked on the Place du Luxembourg in the 70s, Pascal Bertrand searches the internet and documents himself so as not to invite an anachronistic color. The work is remarkable. “I can spend three to four hours on a single photo before posting it. The feedback is incredible and it makes me happy. Especially when Internet users find people of their family or friends in the photos! It has happened several times. “
In eight years, the Thionvillois has already processed thousands of photos of Thionville, black and white and color. He recognizes it, he has trouble finding new ones, unknowns, rare pieces. “It spends it from time to time on auction sites, but the prices are skyrocketing. Sometimes, not being able to buy any, I just ask the owner for permission to publish their photo by crediting it. »A good compromise to continue the adventure.
–
