Incredible colorized photographs show the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island 100 years ago

In the early 1900s, Ellis Island served as the United States' largest immigration station, processing up to 12 million immigrants between the years 1892 and 1954.

One amateur photographer by the name of Augustus Sherman, who served as Ellis Island's chief registry clerk sometime between 1906 and 1917, photographed a handful of immigrants who passed through. According to the New York Public Library, his subjects were most likely asked to wear their best holiday finery or national dress, which Sherman documented in detailed notes. 

These stunning portraits, originally published in National Geographic in 1907, have now been brought back to life and colorized by Jordan Lloyd of Dynamichrome. Lloyd's technique includes historical research for accuracy, as well as retouching at an expert level. His book "The Paper Time Machine," includes these portraits, and is currently raising funds to be published.

All captions are by Dynamichrome.