Everybody, but EVERYBODY knows that Paris, like everywhere else was in black and white back then. My grandparents used to tell me how difficult it was telling flowers apart when they were all in shades of grey.
And paint-merchants... You could get black paint, white paint, and 256 shades of ready-mixed grey. When colour came, in the fifties and sixties, it was rolled out in big cities first. I lived in a small village, and I well remember the excitement when the men arrived to start "Kodacizing", as it was called. First, a huge scaffold, so the sky could be painted blue. Well, we'd been able to see patches of it to the south, toward the city, but, wow! blue!, then they did the grass, with very small brushes and rollers. My dad said "We'll be paying for this in taxes for decades." I think I still have a grey tennis ball, from before they were bright yellow.
Everybody, but EVERYBODY knows that Paris, like everywhere else was in black and white back then.
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents used to tell me how difficult it was telling flowers apart when they were all in shades of grey.
And paint-merchants... You could get black paint, white paint, and 256 shades of ready-mixed grey. When colour came, in the fifties and sixties, it was rolled out in big cities first. I lived in a small village, and I well remember the excitement when the men arrived to start "Kodacizing", as it was called. First, a huge scaffold, so the sky could be painted blue. Well, we'd been able to see patches of it to the south, toward the city, but, wow! blue!, then they did the grass, with very small brushes and rollers. My dad said "We'll be paying for this in taxes for decades."
I think I still have a grey tennis ball, from before they were bright yellow.
Hilarious, Soubriquet! I pulled out some childhood photos of myself and discovered to my amazement that I was black and white way back when.
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