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    7 Pre-War Romanians Brought To Colourful Life In A Stunning Fantasy World

    Photographic artist Jane Long retouched black-and-white photos of Romanians from the early 20th century. The results are spectacular.

    1.

    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net

    Romanian photographer Costică Acsinte, who died in 1984 at the age of 86, left an unparalleled legacy of over 5,000 photos that are now are being restored and digitised by Cezar Popescu with Ialomița County Museum in Romania.

    In a bid to improve her retouching skills, photographic artist Jane Long has colourised a selection of Acsinte's photos, adding an extra fantastical twist to each image.

    2.

    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    After finding the Costică Acsinte Archive on Flickr I became fascinated with the images and their subjects. I wanted to bring them to life. But more than that I wanted to give them a story.

    3.

    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    I will probably never know the real stories of these people but in my mind they became characters in tales of my own invention … star-crossed lovers, a girl waiting for her lover to come home, boys sharing a fantasy, innocent children with a little hint of something dark.

    4.

    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net

    5.

    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net

    6. "I wanted there to be some ambiguity about the images, what is real and what is not real." – Jane Long

    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net

    7.

    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net
    Costică Acsinte Archive / Jane Long / Via janelong.photomerchant.net