Looked like the processed photos before the Photoshop era

Now very few people without photo editor and before publication of the picture in social networks it is certainly processed in photoshop or some other similar program. You can think of. the custom to "improve" the picture gave us the era of instagram and Facebook, but it's not. The first experiments in editing took place shortly after the invention of photography, and at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the master of retouching already worked miracles.

The need to improve the quality of images and adding them all kinds of objects appeared soon after in 1825 by Joseph Niepce invented heliography and introduced the world's first photographic image. The first pictures were processed as needed, as their quality left much to be desired.

In the 19th century often drew on images additionally eyes, lips, jewelry, items, hairstyles and other details that were obtained when shooting is not too sharp and expressive. It was then that there was such a profession as a Retoucher. It was the artists who were drawing on images of different things, as well as correction of defects and even make the photos color.

"Fairies of Cottingley", deceived sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

By the end of the 19th century masters of retouching so dispersed, that began to amaze the world with his unimaginable, fantastical works. I must say that only 100 years ago people cheat photomontage was much easier than it is now. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, bachelor of medicine and writer who gave the world Sherlock Holmes, was fooled by the pictures made in 1917-1921 year, two teenage girls, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths.

Young person added to the photos images of winged fairies, but so skillfully that the venerable writer believed in their existence, and remained unconvinced until his death! Meanwhile, "the Fairies of Cottingley", namely the so began to call these shots, not the quality of the fake images of the early 20th century.

Look at these pictures from the collection of photographer and artist Rick Soloway (Rick Soloway) and imagine that they are all made using the simple techniques of photo montage — blending and retouching with ink, paint, airbrushing or just by scribbling on the surface of the glass photographic plates.

The inscription on this photo reads: "Pumpkins, grown in Iowa, make a profit".

This photo was signed: "If we're going to Colorado, you know exactly why."

"New workers on the farm" — the author made a huge locust to drive a tractor.

And this is Bobby Leach, who conquered in a barrel of special design Niagara falls. The skill of the Retoucher allowed to put character and his camera on the background of conquered flow.

And this "Corn at the farmers' market district." A good harvest, isn't it?

Once Hawaii Matures here are the pineapples. Don't believe? But in vain!

I had a lobster — not like the present! Not a very convincing illusion, but in the 20-ies of the last century, she went on "hurrah".

Fish with human teeth. In those days it was easier and faster to insert the fish teeth for a picture, but, nevertheless, here we see a skillful montage.

"The best wins." It seems that in the past century, the US giant grasshoppers in the pictures was a trend, almost like now "dakasi".

"Train robbery". It is difficult to find a situation in which photographers virtuoso could not use these insects.

So here you are, "mountain hare"!

"Two wise old birds". Everything is so simple that even a little disappointed.

"Rabbit of West Texas". As we can see, rabbits master of photomontage was loved not less than locusts.

Well, then there's the classic conventional fishing lies, visualized with the use of the technical possibilities of the early 20th century.

Finally it is worth saying that some of these pictures are not useless mischief. Photos with pumpkins, corn, fish and pineapples were created specifically to attract immigrants not in the most popular regions of the United States. Yes, that's right — once on the Hawaiian Islands people had to lure the fake pineapple-giants. Used the art of retouching and for political purposes.

Photos with vegetables-the giants even got a separate name — "Tall Tale Postcards" or "Postcards-stories". Of course, most viewers saw the catch, but there were those that actually were bought at a primitive trick. Except today it works as something else?