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100th Anniversary of The Great Boston Molasses Flood

1/15/2019

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Photo restoration of The Great Boston Molasses Flood 11X15 toned print in pieces.
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This week marks the 100th Anniversary of the Great Boston Molasses Flood! Check out this report from Julia Press on NPR

One of the most interesting aspects of being a photo restorer is the history and stories I encounter.

Before my client brought me this crumbling 11X14" mounted print to restore I had never heard of The Great Molasses Flood.
In the North End of Boston on Commercial Wharf sat a 2.3 million gallon storage tank made of thin steel. Steel too weak to  withstand the stress.
On January 15, 1919 the tank ruptured sending a 25' wave of molasses through the streets of Boston killing 21 people and injuring scores. One can only imagine the devastation it left in its wake.

Another interesting note to this photo restoration project is the photo was made by Underwood and Underwood Studios, one of the most prominent stereoview publishers in the United States (1890's) before moving on to news photography in the 1910's.

#molasses flood, #100, #boston, #northend, #npr



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THE AMBROTYPE  1852-1870

8/6/2016

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Ambrotype before and after restoration
Ambrotype booklet

The Ambrotype photograph is a glass plate negative mounted with   a black backing making  the negative appears as a positive.
The background is made of paper, velvet or lacquer and is usually housed in a case, often ornate, much like its more famous and expensive cousin, the Daguerrotype.



About the Restoration.

With great care we removed the glass plate from the case and were happy to find that the backing was paper and not totally stuck to the glass. Only small pieces remained after removal.
Then a high resolution scan was made.
The negative suffered from severe mold, dirt and oxidation damage resulting in a darkened and muddy image.
The physical damage was repaired digitally almost pixel by pixel with Photoshop.
Tone and contrast adjustments were made to return it to its original clarity.
At the very last the rosy cheeks were painted back in.
The end product was an 8X10” custom print made by Picture Renewal.



Ambrotype negative/postitive
“ I cannot believe how wonderful this looks...I could tell you love the classics.”
  - Sally R.
    Lexington, MA


For further information, we recommend:
Ambrotype
Real or Repro
Image Permanence Institute

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The Schooner Marjorie

6/6/2016

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The Schooner Marjorie photo restoration with before and after

THE SCHOONER MARJORIE

The Marjorie was a four-masted schooner, is a fine example of the great tall ships that graced the world's oceans in the time before steam. Built in 1890 in Camden, Maine by Holly M. Bean, The Marjorie was 216 ft. and was registered out of Dennis, MA. She was wrecked on Timbalier Island, LA on February 15, 1899.
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Edwin H. Edwards was the Master of The Marjorie at its launch in 1890. The photograph was brought to Picture Renewal by his great-grandson Mark Edwards owner of C.G. Edwards Co, Inc. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, C.G. Edwards Co, Inc. was founded by Mark's grandfather and passed down to him by his father, continuing a long and fine maritime tradition.

The Restoration:

The original is a 16"X20" mounted albumen print. c1890.
Albumen printing was popular from 1855-1920. The paper is made using egg whites as a binder to hold the light sensitive silver salts.

The print was extremely faded, stained, dirty and scratched.
The digital restoration required a high resolution scan.
I removed dirt and damage speck by speck, scratch by scratch, and then had to add back in missing head and fore stays (ropes) and painted in some hull planks where necessary.
Thanks to the Mystic Seaport for assistance in finding more information about the Schooner Marjorie
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BOSTON STRONG, 1940.

8/24/2015

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1920's vintage American LaFrance Pumper equipped
with anti-aircraft gun.
Boston, Massachusetts 1940


Picture Renewal Restoration of 1940 antiaircraft gun on Boston Fire Department Truck

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Picture Renewal Popular Science 1940 Boston Fire Department
Picture Renewal Boston Fire Department LOGO
"BY MOUNTING an antiaircraft gun on a fire engine, smoke eaters of Boston, Mass., recently demonstrated how their force could cope with an enemy air raid. Now plans are reported to arm a number of other fire trucks similarly, and to train gunners with the cooperation of the National Guard. In case the firemen were attacked by low-flying raiders, while putting out a fire started by air bombs, the powerful machine gun would provide an effective defense. Other engines, roaring along highways with sirens shrieking, would serve as mobile antiaircraft units exclusively, supplementing the work of regular military defense units."
From Popular Science, December, 1940. (Google Books).


About the restoration:

The original is a 4X5" very dark and grubby photo reproduction from the Fire Apparatus Journal July/August 2015 issue.
Photo courtesy of the Bill Noonan Collection.
The published photo was scanned at 1200ppi and edited and enhanced in Photoshop after using special programs to mitigate the dot screen pattern (half-tone) used in most printed media to render photographs.
A split tone was added to give it that 20's look. Final custom print size: 11X14" on Red River UltraPro Satin paper.

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PHOTOGRAPHY'S FIRST ENLARGEMENTS

7/2/2015

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Crayon Portrait c.1890 Hand Colored Photo Restoration

THE CRAYON PORTRAIT

PictureWoodward's Solar Camera 1857Woodward's Solar Camera 1857 (Click image for more info.)
Prior to the mid 1860’s the size of your photograph was pretty much determined by the size of the camera. Copies were limited by the number of lenses on that camera or ‘contact’ printing them. Contact printing is so-named because the negative and photo paper are placed in direct contact with each other and exposed to a light source. Then you wait for the image to appear on the photo paper. And wait. And wait.


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Then came along the photo printing system of enlarging a negative onto a sheet of photo paper and developing that sheet in a darkened room with chemicals that greatly sped up the process of print making. We call them darkrooms. Replete with an enlarger and trays (and often, clothespins).
But the enlargements were very weak in detail. They needed a little help. Often, a lot of help!



Enter the “Crayon Portrait”. It caught on wildly up until the 1910’s, offered by mail-order, through studios and itinerant photographers. Charcoal, pencils, watercolors, oils and pastels were used.

Crayon Portrait c.1912 Photo Restoration
Greek Sailor prior to Balkan Wars c.1912
Crayon Portrait c.1890 Photo restoration
This fine Victorian lady went on to have 10 children and lived to 98!
As with any artistic endeavor the results can be quite varied!

Crayon Portrait Baby Girl c.1900 Hand Tinted photo restoration
A note about this image. The baby's weird posture is probably due to being held by her mother during the photo session and the "crayon artist" was really bad! It certainly wasn't the photo restorers fault!
The definitive book on Crayon Portraits is Crayon Portraiture: Complete Instructions for Making Crayon Portraits on Crayon Paper and on Platinum, Silver and Bromide Enlargements (1882) by Jerome A. Barhydt

Another interesting article about Crayon Portraits and identifying olde photographs I recommend this brief piece I found by DiAnne Iverglynne.
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A Sunday Ride in the Country

6/2/2015

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scan of damaged 1915 photo negative before restoration
Scan of original negative with positive
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photo restoration of 1915 negative
Restored photo of couple on Henderson Motorcycle outside Cambridge, England, c.1915

Adding a Bit of Background (and History)

Ica reflex camera c.1910Ica reflex camera c.1910
This image was brought to Picture Renewal as part of a batch of negatives for scanning. The negatives were all made c.1915, a time when hand held cameras were becoming quite the fad. The different negative proportions indicate the negatives were made with at least two different cameras.

The damage was typical of negatives stored together in a single paper envelope: scratches, abrasions, fingerprints, dirt, and some mold. The non-physical restoration challenges were poor and uneven development, light leaks and bad composing.

The photos are fascinating! The above example is certainly a rose found among the thorns.

Jacques Henri Lartigue 1911 Zissou Tire Boat“Zissou in his tire boat” by Jacques Henri Lartigue, Chateau du Rouzat, 1911
Our client's grandfather (and his future wife) are/is posed on a country road outside of Cambridge, England on a classic Henderson motorcycle enjoying a Sunday outing. I love the casual and comfortable mood, in today's world it would be considered totally un-PC (and I don’t mean the computer). There is a whimsy reminiscent of the time and photography of the Frenchman photographer and painter Jacques Henri Lartique.

It is projects like this that Picture Renewal especially loves. The discovery. The history. The technological challenge. But especially the joy it brings to our clients and their families.

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OLD IN THE NEW

4/13/2015

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The Phi Beta Epsilon Renovation and Expansion at MIT

Interior Photo Mural Picture Renewal Restorations PBE, MIT
In the summer of 2013 Picture Renewal was commissioned to scan and restore approximately 100 photographs and documents from Phi Beta Epsilon’s archives. It was a major undertaking done in concert with their building restoration and construction of a new wing.

Among the dirty, dusty, smelly and torn albums and photos were some fascinating examples of 19th and 20th century studio portraiture and daily life on campus. A great line drawing of the original facade and a hand painted coat-of-arms were especially challenging.

Picture Renewal is proud to point out that a project of 100 pieces or 1 is treated the same! Each photo and document scan, restoration and custom print is done one at a time with care and respect to the original media and historical and emotional context. Each is unique and valuable. No push button factory here!
Seeing our custom prints (from 10” up 40”) framed and beautifully hung in the old and new buildings was a thrill!

The wall mural designed by PBE and MIT alumnus Brian Hunter was particularly rewarding to see.

Working on a project of this magnitude and with other professionals is a true joy. I wish to thank the architects at Epstein Joslin Architects and photographer Neil Alexander for allowing  me to use samples of their beautiful work.
A special thank you is due Mark Beasman, MIT '75. Co-Chairman, PBE Vision 2020 Capital Campaign.



Class oc c.1919 Phi Beta Epsilon Photo Restoration
Line Drawing Restoration by Picture Renewal
Photo by Neil Alexander
Photo by Neil Alexander
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Rare Historical Photo Of Black Minstrel Troupe, c.1895

2/28/2015

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Black Mistrel Troupe Photo Restoration
I am once again intrigued by a beautiful and historically significant image that I was asked to restore. This photo's story is best told by my client who has graciously given me permission to publish.

"Hi Stephen,
I donated it [the original] to the Schomberg Center for Research, etc. of Black Culture in Manhattan.
I bought the original print on ebay from a dealer....not a dealer specifically in black memorabilia.
There was no accompanying info or notation on the back of the card.
The image is obviously a black minstrel troupe and the clothing dates the photo to the 1890's, probably after 1895.
It is almost certainly a touring troupe performing in tent shows, etc. versus theatrical stages....though they could have been on the national theatrical circuit of theaters which presented black entertainers for black audiences. They certainly don't have the fancier clothing & costumes of a highly successful commercial company."

My client continues with remarks about the minstrel show format and the fixed roles of many of the performers, as well as the " transition of 'black' entertainment from whites in blackface to black players playing blacks in much less grotesque costume."

The story behind this picture in not only important to the history of theater but to this country.

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    Stephen Sylvester

    Photographer, Photo Restorer, Artist

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