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.

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 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

"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).

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.

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.