Mick Strather, Wallace Steward & Harry Nehmr - Hugo, OK - 3 of Hugo's Raunders

I'm not sure who these 3 men are or who Hugo's Raunder's are but I really like this photo.  It reminds me of some of my favorite movies like Newsies.  I don't know the story behind how the photograph got pen all over it but I'm sure a toddler was involved.  Luckily they didn't color in entire areas of the photo so I was able to remove the pen along with a lot of scratch marks.  I could have removed a lot more damage on this photo but I decided that the "worn look" gave the photograph character and honestly I like when old photos still look old.

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After

Todd Fernandez

Jessie Dean

People often tell me that their photo is irreparable because their child got a hold of it or the paper became brittle and the photo was now in pieces.  They are always surprised to learn that "in pieces" doesn't mean ruined.  The pieces can be scanned in an played with like a jigsaw puzzle.  Once all of the pieces and in their correct place, the tears can then be removed and missing pieces of the photograph can be rebuilt.

Check out this photograph that had been loved for many years.  It had been torn and then taped back together.  There are also quite a few cracks that I am willing to bet were very close to breaking apart, as well.  Luckily, this photo was repairable and now the family can have a nice copy to enjoy.

Melissa Martin

I think it is so sad how much damage time can do to a photo.  This photo was inside a frame, behind glass and it still suffered a lot of fading.  It also got a little water behind the glass which caused the photo to stick. 

While this photo did not have the water damage, you can see how badly time can fade a photograph.  The edge of the picture is where the frame was covering it.  Although it has more color, the colors have still changed and are not the same as the photo originally was.

Adriana Eldred

Isn't this a cute picture.  So sad that, for whatever reason, it was damaged past the point of being able to be enjoyed.  These are the photographs that I really like to work on.  To be able to give someone back a priceless memory is very rewarding to me.

The Downs Kids

This photo is of Bessie (age 2), Reva (age 7) & Ray (age 5) Downs.  It was taken by Menlove Studios in Provo.  There isn't a date on the photo so I'll have to look up the kids birthdays to find when this photo was taken.  The original photo was a 3x5 & on first examination it seemed that the only damage was to the edges of the photo.  Once I looked closer, though, I noticed that the whole picture is severely scratched from years of movement against another object.  I also noticed that all 3 kids faces were damaged in the development process.

I'm happy to say that I was able to repair all the damage plus correct the damage that was done during development & that this picture is now "better" that the original.

Original Photo

(restored photo)

Bessie (original photo)

(restored photo)

Ray (original photo)

(restored photo)

Reva (Original Photo)

(restored photo)

Who knew a wet glass could be so damaging?

All this damage was caused by a cold glass, covered in condensation, being sat on the photograph.  This photograph was also a reproduction, which made the quality tougher to work with.

Sincerely, Eliza Hopkins

A New View

I found a second photo of the same little girl from the previous post.  It's a different pose but from the same photo shoot.  What I realized is that the "mold" on the curtain in the 1st photo is actually a flower print.  I've looked over & over at the 1st photo & I still can't tell it's flowers, but it's definitely flowers in the 2nd photo.  This is why I always save a copy of the original photo whenever I do a restoration.  That way, I can go back to the original photo, someday, if I want it to look different or if technology changes.

What a Transformation

I'm not sure who this picture is, the back says "Mrs Butterfield, 1469 Coronado, Long Beach CA".  I'm thinking it might be Mary Indiann Butterfield.

The original photograph was bent, torn & covered in mold.  After I restored it, I decided I wanted to color it as well.  I think it's such a cute photo.

Original

Restored Black & White

Restored & Colored

Ephraim Stockwell (Mark, Jack & Rick)

Hamilton Jr. High School Janitors

Before

This photo was taken about 1933.  Grandpa Lee is the 3rd from the right.

After

The Butterfield Family

This photo is of James Butterfield Sr., Myrtle Butterfield, Helen Winefred Butterfield & James Butterfield Jr.  It was taken in Long Beach, CA around 1916.

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After

Helen Winefred Butterfield

Every time I restore an old photo, I'm frustrated at the lack of info available about the photo.  This photo is one of the rare cases where they actually included more info than I would have asked for.  This is Helen Winefred Butterfield.  Taken on November 7, 1914.  Age 2yrs 2months & 8days.

Originally I thought that this picture would be a simple restoration but once I got in close, I realized that the facial damage was going to take quiet a bit of time.

I wish there was a way to zoom in on my blog so that you can see the before & after photos better.  I'm currently working on creating a website.  Hopefully when I do, you'll be able to see the damage clearer.

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After

Mr. F.M. Hopkins - updated

Ok, I'm finally back to working on this stack of old, old photos.  I've been working on a project for a client which has taken up all my time for a few months now but it's finished so hopefully I'll be able to work through these photos at a quicker pace.

This photo is of a Mr. J.M. Hopkins.  He's 40 yrs old & that's all I know about him.  Unfortunately, like most of the photos in this project, there are no dates.  I've searched through genealogical files & the closest I've come up with is a J.M. Hopkins born in 1934 but has no link (that I can find) to the Hopkins family line that this picture came from, or a J.F.M. Hopkins born in 1956 but I have no way to verify it's the same person.  It's made me see just how important it is to label ALL photos with a Name & a Date.  Other info would be nice, like what's going on in the picture but I won't get greedy.

I really enjoyed working on this photo.  It had liquid spilled on it and other paper stuck to it.  It had been mounted on cardboard so there were no bends or cracks.  I cleaned up the dirt & the spills but I didn't remove the fading.  It wasn't harming the photo but made it look like the old photo that it is.  I don't want these photos to look like the subject walked into a 2010 photo studio & asked for an "old fashioned" photo.

The frame has quite a bit of damage around the edges.  As I got in close, to fix it, I realized that the design was done by hand.  Each circle is unique & there is no pattern to it.  I cleaned the spill off the design but I didn't repair it.  I was afraid that in repairing it, I would lose some of the uniqueness of it.  I also had to hand draw the design on the left of the word "Paris".  There was a piece of paper stuck over the design so I had to fill in the blanks.

Although you may not be able to see it on my blog, Mr. Hopkins' face & body are covered in fine scratches.  In order to remove the scratches without losing the details, I had to remove one scratch at a time. It took awhile.

The photo itself was a Simple Restoration but the frame ended up being a Major Restoration

Before

After

*Update*  I've since learned that J.M. Hopkins was actually F.M. Hopkins (Francis Marion Hopkins).  I guess I need to brush up on my early 1900s cursive.  Anyway, I'm glad that I've figured out his name.  Now I need to dig through the pedigree charts to find out when he was born.  FamilySearch.com is a nice website but it's pulled up quite a few people with the same name.  I guess the search continues.

Photo #2

 

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1 down 199+ to go

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Father's Day

I never knew my Grandpa Lender.  He passed away when my dad was only 4yrs old.  My dad has a few pictures of my grandpa but almost no pictures of the two of them together.  Earlier this year, I ran across a picture of my grandpa holding my dad when he was only 3wks old.  Unfortunately, it had see a lot of rough years & was in pretty bad shape.  I decided to fix it up & give it to my dad as a Father's Day gift.  One of the challenges was that the original photo was only a 2inch square.  I wanted to give my dad a framed picture that he could enjoy so I had to alter the properties just right, so that I could get a larger picture without loosing quality.  There was also a lot of damage done to my dad's face which took a bit of time. 

In the end, I was able to print the photograph as a 7inch square & I framed it in a 8x10 frame with a black mat.  I can't wait to give it to him on Sunday.

 

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After

Gardner Photo

It's always a lot of fun to watch a photo come back as missing pieces are filled in.  This photo was particularly challenging to fill in the details in the arm & hair but at the same time rewarding when it's completed.

 

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Major Restorations

 

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