The First World War was a destructive and deadly war and it can be hard to believe that beauty could have existed in such a time a time of mass destruction and brutality. However, Austrian
photographer Mario Unger, 53, has managed to do just this.
Unger spent a painstaking amount of time restoring old black and white photos of the Great War because "war doesn't look as terrible as it does in colour". The photographer also coloured intimate
family photos of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who assassination is seen as the incident which sparked that horrendous conflict. The results, as you can see below, are absolutely stunning.
1.
Two women are captured at the Glebe Sugar Refinery Co in Greenock, Scotland. The women were shovelling coal, a job normally carried out by men, as they had been asked to take over from "masculine jobs" during the First World War.
2.
This photo captures Austrian soldiers engaged in mountain warfare in 1916. The Italians and Austro-Hungarians fought a bitter battle in the Alps before the Italians, who were aided by Britain, declared victory.
3.
This photo, which was taken in 1918, pictures a US soldier looking down at his pistol while displaying a German Iron Cross and helmet as trophies of war.
4.
This photo, which was taken in 1917, might possibly be the highest picture that was taken in WWI. The image captures an Austrian, M99 7cm mountain gun being fired from The Ortler, the tallest mountain in the Eastern Alps.
5.
These Austro-Hungarian soldiers were snapped sitting down in 1916. The death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, was seen as the key event which sparked the conflict.
6.
This image was captured in Ceylon, British India, and shows Franz Ferdinand sitting on an elephant after shooting it during a tour of the world between 1892 and 1893.
7.
This is a family portrait of Archduke Ferdinand with his wife Sophie and their three children. The heir to the empire was 50 when he was killed with his wife in 1914.
8.
The image, which was originally captured in 1916, shows a frostbitten lieutenant after landing from a flight. Believed to be Lieutenant Foehles, he reportedly fought for the Central Powers against the Allies during the war.
9.
This is a portrait of Karl Boy-Ed, the naval attaché to the German Embassy in Washington DC. Pictured in full uniform, Boy-Ed was expelled from the USA in 1915, along with German chancellor Franz von Papen, after clandestine operations were reported in the American Press.
10.
This image shows soldiers from the 5th London Rifle Brigade standing alongside German Saxon regimental fighters during the Christmas truce in 1914.
These photos, particularly the last one of the Christmas truce, really bring the First World War to life. While we all know what happened in the war, seeing photos that look like they could have been taken in the present day, makes the pictures and the stories behind them, even more poignant.
