MJK 1 Colour version - WARNING - GRAPHIC IMAGE

[Carol]

Hello Steve,
Thank you for posting a step by step guide to working miracles on very old photographs! I'm afraid I'm only a little bit wiser - my brain went fuzzy when you used the word 'math' in the eighth paragraph. It will probably take me all day to recover now.

Seriously though, I appreciate both your work and Jane's more than I can say. I'm sure those poor women would be grateful that they have never been forgotten and that there are genuine fellow human-beings who feel pity for them and want their murderer to be named even over a hundred years later.

Keep up the good work!

Love,
Carol xxx

[Hunter]

Well said, Brenda and thanks for your explaination, Steve.

It has been asserted that the killer of each of these women left little evidence... beyond Kate Eddowes' apron and possibly some graffiti in the passage of the Model Dwellings on Goulston Street. But I would submit that the photographs of the victims - especially those of Mary Kelly - are evidence of a more substantial nature.

Unlike the items in Goulston Street, these photographs are still here to stand as testimony to the reality of what occured in a small part of London in the fall of 1888. The picture of Mary Kelly's mutilated remains is the best evidence of a serial killer's work. Those that believe otherwise should take a good look at it. This type of brutality defies any logical explaination of motive.

The name, Jack the Ripper, may have been an invention of some 'enterprising journalist', but this picture is evidence that the name was appropriate. It is his real signature in flesh and blood.... evidence of a mentality that was inconceivable, even to those that investigated it.

I hope that Steve's work, here, continues to provoke our minds in a proper analysis of what happened to this poor woman. Real harm is done when we choose to forget what all of the people that endured this... went through. This gruesome, grainy old photograph is a stark reminder.

[sgh]

A note on the image reconstruction method

An explanation on the image enhancement and colouring work in Adobe Photoshop.


This may be a bit awkward for the none photoshop savvy to understand but I'll try my best.

It's important for method credibility reasons as I have noted some serious misunderstandings
by a particular poster.

------------
All work is performed on a duplicate of the original image. The original remains intact.

Before any colouring work can commence on the image it is necessary to carfefully enhance
the tonal range in the shadows, mid tones and highlights to try and rescue the faded condition
and bring it back to life because this provides a stronger foundation upon which further work can then take place.
No cloning or other invasive technique is employed as this would immediately render the image valueless for research purposes!



The initial enhancement work as with all further works on the image is acheived using nondestructive 'adjustment layers'
in Adobe Photoshop (CS3 Ext)

Basically, adjustment layers in 'photoshop' appply the adjustment math on top of the pixel information, so there
is no damage to the original image pixels beneath.


The colour work is achieved by selecting a specific area of the image then adding a
colour balance adjustment layer to add a transparent colour.
These critical selections are made at 100% and 200% view for accuracy.

A colour balance adjustment layer can best be described as laying a sheet of clear glass over the selected area
then using colour controls to 'tint' the glass 'layer' to the desired colour.
This means that all the original details of the image remain visible and now have colour.


The applied colour layer automatically takes on the tonal depth range from the base original, so if part of my selection contains
a highlight the colour will appear very light, and if part of the selection is a midtone, then the same colour
will appear darker to match the depth of the midtone, and so on to the darkest part of the selection producing
the darkest shade of the same colour.


I hope that clarifies things a little and not left out anything major, but that's the gist of things
without resorting to a greater technical discussion.

------------


A good example of the sheer power and capability of this colouring method can be seen
back in my first post which includes the cropped close-up of the victim, in particular, the top
of the bloodstained chemise, right at the edge where the neckline would be, or thereabouts.
An apparent blood dispersal pattern can be detected there with a little more clarity.
I did not 'draw', 'paint', alter, or invent any of those shapes of the blood pattern whatsoever.
All I did was make a subjective selection of that area of the chemise then applied an appropriate
colour balance adjustment layer which revealed more of the existing detail.



The purpose of the enhancement excercise as stated in my first post is to try and offer the serious researcher
a clearer understanding of the picture.
It should be used only as a guide alongside the original sepia image due to the very nature of subjective
reconstruction work.


I appreciate positive discussion, and as my work progresses will from time to time seek advice and consensus from
serious researchers - several of whom have already posted positively here, for agreement on correct interpretation of the
reconstruction as it progresses.

Many Thanks
Best, Steve



--------

[Brenda]

.

John,
Just so you know, this site is full of respected published authors and unpublished authors, bloggers, artists, reconstructionists, photographers, editors, criminologists, college professors, police officers, television producers, census researchers, historians, theorists, Whitechapel preservationists, at least one medical doctor, inkologists (LOL!) and just plain hobbyists. Just a look around the site should convince you that the subject of "Jack the Ripper" covers so much more than the actual murders. You never know who you might be talking to on this site, and the quality of intellect here is what has kept me coming back for 9-10 years now. I truly don't know of another site quite like it on the 'net.

[Carol]

Hi Steve and Jane!

I would just like to thank you both for being so generous as to share the results of your very hard work with the rest of us. In my opinion colour helps to give us a reality check on what actually happened to these poor women. Black and white can be atmospheric but only colour can give us a true picture. The warning was a good one and I'm sure many members of Casebook appreciated it. I would have needed a warning when I was young but at my great age of nearly 65 I can now look at most things!

Again, many thanks to you both. I can really recommend your thread to everyone, Jane - 'Jane Coram's pics'. Mind-blowing!

With lots of love to you both,
Carol

[Carol]

Hi Loublin!
Welcome to Casebook! I'm sorry your first landing on the site was a bit unnerving but as you get used to us you'll see that we are really good friends - on the whole!

I've just returned from a trip to 'Jane Coram's pics' thread and I think you will appreciate looking there yourself. Jane's work is absolutely amazing! (I only found out about Jane's work myself because I had a quick look on this thread yesterday).
Happy hunting,
Love
Carol

[Wickerman]

....Why do it? Investigative teams use photographic techniques all the time of crime scene photos to try and find clues that have been overlooked. It's standard practice. In this instance, Steve has brought out details that might make a lot of difference in working out how Mary died and if she did, in fact, have defense wounds on her lower arms, or if they were mutilations. Important stuff I'd say.

Jane, your artwork over the years stands as testimony to your expertise and dedication.

Let me just ask you, & anyone who has expertise in the field. When looking at the posture of the body, the arch of the ribcage in relation to the position of her left shoulder. Does it not appear to you that her head is too far to the left, over her left shoulder?
It is very difficult to accurately reproduce a correct alignment for her spine taking referrence from the central pubic point between her legs, nevertheless it appears to me, and always has, that her head 'seem's' almost detached from her body.

I know, nothing is mentioned about her head being severed, except in one American News article, but, this is what the angle of the body/head suggests to me, which could be completely erroneous.

Regards, Jon S.

[Loublin]

I completely agree with you, it would be a great find if she ever had one taken.

And I don't think your a jerk. I was just surprised at the time and effort put into this thread. But hey we all have feeling on certain subjects that we get passionate about.

[Abby Normal]

Here's a preview of the MJK 1 photo I'm working on at the moment.
This is only a trial version image.

The excercise using colour helps to identify significant features of the injuries sustained
which may not be quite apparent in the original sepia image, especially if one is unable to,
or does not have the facilities to perform a suitable close-up image to study.

Briefly, two of the main points of interest in this cropped image are the
extensive injuries to the left arm, and the bloodstained top of the clothing (chemise) nearest
to where the neck would be.


Observations to left forearm.
In addition to the deep cuts to the outer forearm one can see that the fleshy part of the underside
of the arm has also been cut and pulled outwards into view.
The biceps muscle has also been cut out leaving an apparent hollow area.

Obs to top edge of the chemise.
The top of the chemise clothing indicates a blood dispersal pattern adjacent to the neck area
which one would assume being caused by the cutting of the neck.
This 'may' give a little insight as to how much blood came towards the operator depending on his
position to the body in this case, and perhaps what can be expected with the others in the C5 group.

*
It will take some time to produce a complete version but the results from my initial trial
seems promising regarding the clarification of detail for an easier study.
--------------

For the those interested:
The colour work I'm doing is far from complete as you can see.
The image I'm using is a 49mb tif, and all enhancements, most importantly, are non destructive.

The base image is enhanced first before any colour layers are applied.
No sharpening takes place at any stage!

The colours (still to be tweaked) are applied using multiple colour balance adjustment
layers in photoshop CS3.
Some layers are duplicates with different blend modes and % of opacities applied.
All work saved in PSD format.

Best
Steve

Hi sgh
I think this is good work and very informative. I had never seen this level of detail before and it made me notice a couple of things, maybe significant or not but I think so. 1. I can really see by the close up of her arm that In my opinion MK looks like she was not stout (thick), short or fat. Her arm(bone structure) appears to my eye to be that of a normal size, shaped woman maybe leaning toward actually taller and thinner. I could not really tell from previous pictures I have see. 2. The cuts to the arm are highlighted to reveal to me for the first time that the killer made one downward cut and then diagonal downward cuts off the first cut, creating upside down v pattern kind of like Eddowes. Why cut in a pattern like that?

Also, I think one can talk/work objectively about these horrible murders and still have deep respect and sympathy for the women. Since i have learned the details of their lives, it makes me think about them just as much about JtR(and all the mystery and romantasizing around him). When i think of Mary Kelly helping out other unfortunate women even given her tough circumstances it really makes me realize how good people can be, no matter how bad their situation.

[John Winsett]

If any one holds the key to tracing desendants of Mary Kelly it was Fiona Kendall, albeit probably through army records.

I didn't know that. Thanks for posting.

I don't think that it's isn't possible for a picture of MJK to be found. I just think with the year and the state of photography at that time, one shouldn't solely rely on there being one.

Hi Loublin, I'm not as big a jerk as you might expect. I'm no photo historian but since they do have surviving pics from years before 1888, I think the only thing stopping someone from finding a pic of MJK is that she may never have taken one. Anyway welcome to the boards.

And as this is a new day I want to say if I offended I apologize. I still don't agree with the accuracy of the colorization or the obsessiveness behind it but in the big scheme of things that doesn't really matter does it?

[richardnunweek]

Hi,
If any one holds the key to tracing desendants of Mary Kelly it was Fiona Kendall, albeit proberly through army records.
According to Fiona her great grandmother parcelled up Marys belongings and forwarded them on to MJKs brother, who apparently was concerned, that any leakage of his sister being the latest victim of the Ripper, may harm his prospects for army promotion.
Clearly this brother existed, and all we would need is his name and barracks address.
If fionas history is accurate, then it appears obvious why none of poor Marys Family attended her funeral.
One selfish brother, and shamed family members.
Regards Richard.
By the way , I dont find the colour interpretation disturbing, it really brings to life how sick JTR was.

[Barnaby]

Wow, to me that resembles Sickert's style

On a more serious note: Some are arguing that such attempts are degrading to the victim/humanity and others are arguing that the value of such work is greater than any social harm it can cause. In my opinion, at some point (when - I don't know - but 120+ years seems sufficient), the harm to the victim's memory and family caused by any exploitation of the crime (not that I believe this is) are long past. The only potential harm here would be contributing to the societal desensitization to violence. And, in those terms, this is less explicit than video games rated appropriate for teenage play.

Mary Kelly was a real person who lived and died over a century ago. It would run contrary to societal norms to disparage her memory. But we can't hurt her, or anyone who cared for her. If someone can make a buck (and many have) off of her story, so be it. These "exploitations" of Mary actually have resulted in her achieving an immortality the vast majority of us will never have. While I'm sure she'd rather have lived and died anonymously, there remains a slim chance that efforts such as these will produce results that contribute to our historical understanding of the crime.

[Loublin]

Hello Jane, and thank you all for your warm welcomes.
I don't think that it's isn't possable for a picture of MJK to be found. I just think with the year and the state of photography at that time, one shouldn't solely rely on there being one.

[John Winsett]

Sorry maurice, still here. Jane, i like your attitude. I'm not normally combative but in this case i had to be. When Steve does a coloring it gives the impression he is an expert and what he is doing is accurate. This may be a nice try but its not.
A picture of annie chapman surfaced so why not Mary? Its possible. Just as the rest of the autopsy photos could surface.

[The Grave Maurice]

Well, that was fun. Now that Winsett's gone, let's get back to work.