They say some things are be better off left in the past.

But Swedish artist Sanna Dullaway clearly doesn’t agree with that concept as she has transformed some of the most famous black and white pictures ever captured into high resolution colour versions.

While purists may disagree with the modernisation of such historic pictures such as the celebrations that marked VJ (Victory in Japan) day, images of devastation from Pearl Harbour and the shocking shot of a Viet Cong prisoner being shot in the head by an army general (demonstrating the brutality of the Vietnam War), the colour pictures do appear to re-emphasise the scene they are portraying.

Little is known about the creator of these iconic images, but it is thought she is hoping to sell her work on the internet - and there is sure to be some firm interest.

She writes on her Flickr site: ‘Hi. I take coloured photographs. If I stumble upon colourless photographs I colour them.’

It couldn’t be simpler right? Yet the results are truly stunning.