The great great grandson of a VE Day party organiser has restored the picture taken to mark the special occasion.
Daniel Streeter, of Tucson, Arizona, set to work removing lines caused by folding from the original photo and bringing it to life with colour.
The photo shows a party to mark victory in Europe in the Second World War.
It is thought to have been taken in Wimpole Road or Artillery Street in Colchester in 1945.
The party was organised by Daniel’s great great grandmother Lydia Joslin, a widow whose son, Daniel, was an evacuee of Dunkirk.
Daniel’s grandfather David, a retired major in the US Air Force, said: “Many years ago, my wife’s sister in England sent us the original photo and unfortunately it was damaged sometime in its life by being folded twice.
“Being a keen genealogist and historian, I made a futile attempt to remove the folding lines but was never really pleased with the results.
“I am impressed with Daniel’s work but more impressed with his appreciation for what the people of the photo had lived through and the hardships they would still face getting back to normal.
“My wife, Lydia, remembers much about the war such as the air raid shelters and the particular sound of German and British aeroplanes and V1 Doodlebugs.”
Daniel decided to restore the photo as part of his course in graphic illustration.
David, who can trace his ancestry back to East Bergholt, said: “He was advised by his professor to use a less complicated photo.
“I was unaware of this pursuit until Daniel showed us the finished product.”
- David and Daniel
Daniel spent hours carefully removing the creases and black spots on the picture before adding colour.
He said: “I could have chosen a much simpler picture, but I felt so drawn to this one. Having a family member in and involved with organising the scene made it personal, for a start.
“And as I zoomed in on the picture to colour the faces, I kept encountering ones my eyes hadn’t fully registered.
“The story carried by the scene itself is so special, too. It’s not hard to find pictures of similar VE teas but that does nothing to diminish the feelings radiated by this one.”
Daniel and David now want to find out more about the picture. If anyone has information about the picture email divadstreeter@gmail.com.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here