Photograph Restoration

[Barnesville Blues]

I was recently contacted by a descendant of a member of the 4th Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters, a unit I have been researching for the past several years. They had a portrait of their ancestor which they wanted to send me for my use. The portrait is an original and was taken on April 29, 1858 in Griffin Georgia by a photographer named A. B. Clark. It is on a glass plate. It is in pretty bad shape and the descendant asked if I might know of a reputable company who could restore the old image. I figured this was a good place to ask. The descendant lives in the Dallas, Fort Worth area so any conservation company in that area would be a huge plus. Thanks

 

[civilwarincolor]

For an image of that period that is on glass it may be a daguerreotype. That would be pretty late for that type of image, but it is possible. An image that is printed onto glass or metal typically means that it is an image positive and that restoration is usually not recommended.

Without seeing it personally it would be hard to tell. My recommendation is to find a local museum and see if they have someone that they can recommend. They should also be able to tell you if it would even be possible to restore. The concern that I have about a daguerreotype is that they always say to NEVER touch the actual image with anything or it can damage or destroy it. It is not uncommon for people (with good intentions) to try to give a daguerreotype a cleaning and end up taking an image in fair condition to an image in very poor condition in just a few seconds. Definitely don't try this at home!

If you are interested in a digital restoration I would be happy to help (I don't do physical restorations). I have done several hundred of them including private commissions for members of this forum. Send me a PM and we can discuss the image and rates if interested.

BTW, jealous of you living in Killarney. My wife and I went there a few years ago on vacation and really enjoyed the National Park and the Muckross house.

 

[Barnesville Blues]

For an image of that period that is on glass it may be a daguerreotype. That would be pretty late for that type of image, but it is possible. An image that is printed onto glass or metal typically means that it is an image positive and that restoration is usually not recommended.

Without seeing it personally it would be hard to tell. My recommendation is to find a local museum and see if they have someone that they can recommend. They should also be able to tell you if it would even be possible to restore. The concern that I have about a daguerreotype is that they always say to NEVER touch the actual image with anything or it can damage or destroy it. It is not uncommon for people (with good intentions) to try to give a daguerreotype a cleaning and end up taking an image in fair condition to an image in very poor condition in just a few seconds. Definitely don't try this at home!

If you are interested in a digital restoration I would be happy to help (I don't do physical restorations). I have done several hundred of them including private commissions for members of this forum. Send me a PM and we can discuss the image and rates if interested.

BTW, jealous of you living in Killarney. My wife and I went there a few years ago on vacation and really enjoyed the National Park and the Muckross house.

I will pass on your advise to the descendant and will let you know if she is interested in hiring you. I may be interested in hiring you to colorize an image. I have tried several times my self but have never been successful. The image in question is a photograph of my own 4th Batt'n GA SS ancestor and I posted it in this thread here so you can see it:
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/pos...l-war-era-ancestor.72791/page-13#post-1205988

Let me know your rate, I may be interested in hiring you to colorize it if you think it is possible.

I really enjoy living in Killarney. The only think I don't like is how far away I am from all the civil war sites.

 

[civilwarincolor]

I will respond via PM.

 

[civilwarincolor]

Not sure why I responded to say that it may have been a daguerreotype, that is wrong. Daguerreotype were not made on glass, but polished silver. An Ambortype would have been made on glass. This replaced the daguerreotype around 1855 and was common for the next ten years, so is right for your image.

I did find a few things here about the possibility of doing some repairs to a physical image. I would still encourage the owner to get a recommendation from a local museum. This will help get them in touch with someone with the right skills and knowledge to do this right or at all.