Young Women at Work in 1904 | AI enhanced Film

An AI enhanced glimpse into the past. Women at work in a Pennsylvania electrical factory in 1904. Using deep learning techniques we can now get a more immersive look at early footage from nearly 120 years ago

Preserved by the Library of Congress, there are several pieces of footage from a collection of 21 films, showing women at work. Last year we saw Gibson Girls – Edwardian Fashion brought to Life. This was an AI enhanced film of Girls taking Time Checks.

1904 Film – Women at Work in Westinghouse Electric

Women working in the Westinghouse Electric Factory Pennsylvania. Original film: Library of Congress

George Westinghouse Jr. was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania. He created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. He received his first patent at the age of 19.

The footage was taken by cinematographer Billy Bitzer, who went on to shoot Intolerance and Birth of a Nation.

The early 1900’s conjures up the Gibson Girl pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson. The women in this film with their pompadour hairstyles and Edwardian era fashions represent the ‘ideal woman’ in the USA.

Women at work in 1904 - Westinghouse Works
AI enhanced film : Women at Work in 1904. Film: Library of Congress. AI work Glamour Daze.

Coil Winding – Section E, Westinghouse works (1904).
Photographed 6 May 1904 Location. Westinghouse works. United States Preserved by Library of Congress Bitzer, G. W., Camera. American Mutoscope And Biograph Company, and Paper Print Collection.

Young women at work in 1904. AI enhanced film
AI enhanced film: Coil Winding – Section E, Westinghouse works (1904) LOC.

How the AI Enhancement was achieved

  • Cleaned noise artifacts
  • Increased frame interpolation from 15 fps to 60 fps
  • Increased resolution from 540 pixels to 4000 pixels
  • Applied color using Deoldify ( Jason Antic) and Deep-Exemplar-based-Video-Colorization
  • Created ambient soundtrack for an immersive experience.

That’s all ! © Glamourdaze

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