Old Photographs | Aunt as a Baby My aunt, who later became my mom, took a nice baby picture. Why are old photos a bit brown? It’s not necessarily because they are old. The silver nitrates used to make old photographs tended to crack and turn all black when exposed to sun. Cuttlefish ink, or sepia added to the image imparts a nice warm brown tone while selenium adds a cooler bluish tint. They also replaced the silver salts. These colors are stable and became the standards for the old photo look. Note: I post an image everyday at hankconrad.com.
