I feel sure the white on black copy is just the way photostats came out in those days. I have had other documents from courthouses that are white on black. I don't know if they just didn't go through the whole process to make them black on white then or what. A certified copy of my birth certificate, issued in 1942, is white on black, and so was the first copy of our marriage license. It had an error on it so it was reissued not too many years ago and of course is black on white Am confident it had nothing to do with circumstances of birth! Aha! I just went to Google and it says a negative photostat is white on black but is not a mirror image and is on paper. It costs half as much as a positive photostat. Therefore, in many cases, a negative image is adequate and there is no need to spend the extra money for a positive. Looks like our courthouses perhaps do try to save money! ha. jean in ok