Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The Ghosts of History


I’m not usually one for war history, but I heard a great story recently that I wanted to share with everyone.  Ghosts of History is a project by former historical consultant Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse and is based in History Pin technology.  Using photographs from World War II they superimpose the people and the equipment from that period over modern pictures of Dutch streets creating chilling images that combine the past and the present.  Arguably this kind of tool does not require it to be war history that is portrayed, but that is what Teeuwisse is working with for now.  There are of course limitations on this tool, as the history of photography is significantly shorter than the history of history, but the future posibilities, especially as the digital era expands, and more and more pictures are being taken every day, are immense.  This kind of technology amplifies our historical sense of place by actually being able to look at a current place, as it may have been in historical times.




History Pin and other apps or programs make this kind of technology available to all of us, and I have to say, I find it amazing.


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