Restoration of old photograph consisted of retouching of the damaged parts fixing the low contrast of the image that was due to the poor condition of the glass plate negative. Following photo restoration, the image was printed on high quality paper and framed. |
Torn, folded and discolored photograph showing the elegance of this style and height of 1930's fashion was carefully repaired by digitally stitching together 5 separate pieces and removing all the signs of damage. The new seamless image was printed on archival paper using pigment inks. |
1920's signed portrait of Native American from the Hopi Tribe wearing full ceremonial dress was carefully retouched to remove all signs of damage and discoloration. Giclee print was made on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag fine art paper and framed with cream mat and walnut frame. |
Portrait of WWI hero, Milan Rastislav Stefanik who co-founded Checokslovakia in 1918 was restored from damaged 5x7 glass plate negative taken during the sitting for the official portrait. After the photograph was restored it was colorized, replicating the accurate colors of the historic uniform as determined by extensive research. Final image was printed on Moab Summerset Enhanced paper. |
24x30 inch architectural blue prints were scanned on our large format Kodak iQsmart scanner. The accuracy and evenness of the high-end scanner creates perfect scanning of oversize documents that are larger than most consumer or commercial type flatbed scanners. Various blueprints were assembled with pertinent data to create a montage, background, stains creases were digitally retouched, and final image was printed on archival fine art paper. |
Shortly after Lindbergh's historic flight across the Atlantic, on July 4th, 1929 two daring aviators flew across the bay completing the first and only air mail delivery from Long Island to Fire Island. The photograph taken immediately after their landing was heavily stained and damaged by water and chemicals during a house fire. A bit of historical research was conducted during the restoration process to determine whether the appearance of the pilot in the center of the photo was natural or due to the damage to the photograph. It was discovered that the young daredevil did indeed suffer the broken nose in a car crash. After the photograph underwent digital retouching and restoration to like new condition it was printed on Epson archival matte paper. |
Early 20th century photo of American tourists on a trip to see the wonders of Ancient Egypt exhibited fading, cracks and broken off sections. The photograph was careful retouched to remove all signs of the damage while preserving the greenish hue that came from the specific type of photo paper with blue clay layer that was often used in early photography. |
This beautiful wedding picture taken at the beginning of the 20th century was brought to the studio in separate pieces. In addition to tears parts of the photograph were missing and the photograph was extremely faded and showed signs of silver migration. All the tears and missing areas were retouched and replaced through tedious work to produce prints that contained all the detail and richness of the original. |
Hand colored photograph showed extensive flaking of the oil paint and photo emulsion. The missing facial features presented a real restoration challenge but were successfully restored by interpreting shapes from additional photos of the graduate. A 16x20 high quality color print was produced from the digital file and framed as an anniversary gift years after her original picture was taken. |
This beautiful photograph of a woman was taken in the early years of 20th century. Over the years it faded and suffered chemical discoloration and flaking of the photo emulsion and paper. Careful retouching of old photograph removed the chemical cast and filled in the missing areas. A new oval frame was added to fill a standard 5x7 inch frame. |
The photo of a vintage Chris Craft speedboat racing across Long Island Sound was affected by chemical deterioration from improper photo processing, and was additionally covered by ink spots and numerous scratches. Damaged areas were retouched and realistic water was added to recover the historic significance of this 1920s photo. |
Old photograph of a village winter scene was missing major parts of the image and decorative border. The photograph was repaired by replicating the intact parts of the border and cloning torn off pieces from the existing image. Yellowing was reduced while maintaining a natural sepia tone that suited the age of the photograph. |
This 1960s photograph became faded and discolored from the exposure to the direct sunlight. During the restoration the color balance of the photograph was adjusted and fading was reduced to bring back the original colors. We didn't try to change the 1960s style of this photo, just bring it back to as new condition. |
Digital retouching and enhancement of contrast while retaining detail in the highlights revived this vintage photograph of two "athletes" standing next to a swimming cabin. Following restoration an 8x10 archival print was made from the high-resolution digital file. |
This color portrait of a woman had an uneven cut off border, missing parts, paint stains, major creases and flakes. The photograph was digitally retouched to remove signs of damage and the color balance was enhanced to simulate the original look of transparency film available in the 1950s. |
A low contrast and faded portrait of father and son was digitally fixed to reveal the personalities of the two gentlemen and the appearance of their WWI Italian army uniforms. After completion of the restoration and enhancements, a warm toned high quality photo print was made on archival matte paper. |
A badly damaged and burned photo of two shopkeepers with a substantial amount of obliterated information required an extreme restoration service. Additional images of the same subjects can often be used to assure a faithful reproduction of the original. |
The original 1887 NYPD patrolman nomination document signed by future President Theodore Roosevelt was brought to our studio in the state of high deterioration. Glued to a cardboard, it was wrinkled and yellowed with the signature of Theodore Roosevelt barely legible. Because any attempt to separate the document from the mounting board could lead to destruction and any application of cleaning solutions may react negatively with the mounting glue, digital replication and document restoration was the only option available. The document was scanned at extremely high resolution to protect the intricate detailed of the engraving and handwriting. The discoloration was removed by careful adjustment of the color balance and all details in the document were carefully retouched. The signature of Teddy Roosevelt was enhanced to make it legible once again. The final image was printed on archival mat paper to be framed and displayed. |
Possible exposure to chemical cleaners caused a yellow stain to cover most of this valuable signed photograph of the famed boxer. To preserve the value of the signature, a high resolution digital copy of the photograph was produced and then retouched to remove all appearances of the stain. The restored image was printed on the high quality photo paper and framed, with the original signed photograph safely sealed in an archival envelope placed under the protective back cover of the frame. |
Every child thinks that he or she is the next great artist. Unfortunately some of their creative experiments take a heavy toll on whatever comes under their magic markers. This colorized baby picture that underwent additional colorization at the hand of 5 year old artist was carefully retouched to remove all signs of flaking of the original pigments as well as the magic marker colorization that was generously applied to the hair, eyes and outfit. The restoration of the eyes presented a particular challenge since it was important to recreate the impression of true baby innocence. |
A beautiful photograph of young ballerinas reminiscent of impressionists' paintings was heavily affected by chemical deterioration, exposure to dust and mechanical damage that resulted in missing parts at the corners of the picture. The photograph was retouched to even the tone of the background, missing areas were carefully filled in and overall correction of color and brightness was applied to the final image. |
This black and white photograph taken in early 1960s was carefully colorized using advanced digital painting software. The colors were applied according to the best recollection of the client who was one of the young boys depicted on the photograph. |
This wonderful example of a pre Civil War portrait was created with help of camera obscura where the image is first traced on a piece of paper laid over the ground glass of the camera. This technique was very popular at the time when the photographic process was still extremely difficult and very expensive. During restoration the portrait was scanned at high resolution and retouched to remove all signs of tears and stains. Fully restored and printed on high quality archival photo paper, this portrait became a great addition to the collection of photographs and images of a family history that spanned over 150 years. |
This beautiful hand colored photograph of a girl was found in the attic were it was neglected for many years. The owner became aware that silverfish had attacked the paper just in time for us to fully restore this precious portrait. With exceptional attention to detail the facial features of the portrait were retouched and the missing parts of the background were carefully painted in. After the restoration of the photograph was complete, the image was printed on fine art ink jet paper. |
Digital restoration of documents provides an opportunity to bring back even the most damaged piece. This document dating from 1899 was torn in four pieces, showed fading and discoloration, was missing parts and sections were covered by adhesive tape. To restore it to its original appearance, a high resolution scan was made of the individual pieces which were then assembled into single digital file. After the pieces were aligned digitally and joined together, all the seams were carefully retouched and the missing parts were copied from the undamaged areas or painted in. Finally, the overall colors and tones of the document were adjusted to restore it to its original condition. |
This vintage photograph is a great example of a photo portrait that had paint applied to it to create the appearance of an oil painting. Over the years the portrait became heavily creased with parts of the paint layer and photo emulsion separating from the base. The image was carefully retouched to remove all signs of damage and adjusted to bring back the tonality and contrast. Final print was produced using a high quality photo printer and matt paper. |
Photographs dating back to the Civil War often exhibit fading, chemical deterioration and silver migration. Nevertheless each of those photographs deserves careful consideration and preservation because of the historical significance that the image depicts. This striking photograph of three solders wearing cavalry uniforms required extensive restoration due to its uneven fading. Careful application of dodging and burning techniques and precise matching of tone and contrast helped to bring back the natural appearance of this group photo. |
An early 20th century photo of one of the many beautiful churches that grace 5th Avenue of Manhttan suffered from substantial fading and lack of contrast in the dark tones. After general clean up of the image, masking was used to select shadow areas for adjustment in contrast and tone. A fine art quality print was made from the restored image. It is part of a large collection of historical photographs of New York that were restored by Preserve Your Past and will be framed and displayed in one of the city's most prestigious social membership clubs. |
This 1880s photo of a Rabbi was restored for publishing in a book on Jewish history. The photograph was carefully retouched to remove creases, scratches and mildew stains. The missing areas were digitally painted in and the Rabbi's signature, stamp and wax seal were added to complete his legacy. A slight sepia toning was added to give the photograph a vintage appearance. |
This extremely rare and valuable 17th century map of London printed for and dedicated to Sir Robert Vyner (Viner), Lord Mayor of London (1674), had suffered cuts and scratches from broken glass when the frame was damaged during shipping. After removing the map from the frame and detaching it from the mounting board the map was carefully cleaned from any traces of broken glass and deacidified to prevent further deterioration that occurs from exposure to chemicals. The tears were carefully repaired and filled in with a pH neutral compound and all signs of damage were eliminated with outmost care. After the restoration of map was completed, only those who knew the original location of the damaged spots could identify the repair. To complete the presentation, the map was placed on museum quality mounting board and covered with custom cut mat. Careful examination of this rare map of London helped to settle one of the longest standing historical debates. It does appear that indeed no public loo existed on either side of Thames at that time. Some say that there are still too few of them today. |
Part of great African-American heritage and visual history, this late 19th century portrait was unevenly faded and roughly scissor cut. The restoration of this photograph consisted of removal of fading, overall adjustment of color and saturation to bring back the richness of tones and filling in of missing parts. The final image was printed on archival paper and sized to fit a standard frame. |
Need a modern day photo turned into a vintage photograph that would look great in an album or used as part of historical presentation? Our "Photo Antiquation" can convert a modern color or digital photo to a black and white antique. We add scratches, discolorations, tears, fading and any number of other marks to give your photo the look of days gone by. Hey, we'll run it through a wash cycle if you'd like. This picture of 1914 Avro 504K airplane was taken with cheap digital camera during an air show at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. |
Particular care was given in making a presentation copy of this exceptionally rare autographed photo of World War II heroes, General McArthur and General Eisenhower.. After removing all signs of staining and filling in the missing areas, special attention was given to the reproduction of detail and color of the signatures. The bottom border's texture and color were extended around the photo to recreate the original size of the print. The final print was made on high quality fine art ink jet paper and a number of test prints were made to match the color of the duplicate to that of the original photograph. Fine art inkjet photo paper was used for the final presentation. |
This 19th century vintage photo of the landmark Dakota building on Central Park West and 72nd street in New York City predated the arrival of automobiles and shows the Upper West Side at a time when most of it was occupied by small farms and plots of waste land. Restoration of this photograph started with the making of a high resolution 1200 dpi (dots per inch) scan. The detail revealed a man washing windows on the 2nd floor. Fading was reduced and chemical stains were eliminated. Finally, after the photograph was restored to new condition, a 16x20 print was made on gallery quality archival satin paper. |
The formal portrait of Russian officer wearing a parade uniform of the Russian imperial guard regiment, displaying a golden sword with which he was decorated for personal bravery in combat was taken at the end of 19th or beginning of 20th century. The photograph was carefully retouched to remove the overall fading and minor scratches. Following the retouching the photograph was lightly colorized to show the splendor of the uniform and award decoration. |
A 19th century photograph of the famous New York Plaza hotel required careful cleaning and retouching of some missing parts of the building and it's surrounding. After the retouching was complete, light colorization was applied to the photograph to eliminate the vast stark area of the sky. The subtle tones of blue and yellow gave the final image a delicate vintage appeal. |
This late 19th century photograph of 5th Avenue and the old reservoir at 42nd street (present location of New York Public Library) was a faded ghost of its original self. During the restoration the overall fading of the photograph was removed and contrast and richness of the tones were brought back. The final restored image was printed on premium photo paper to be displayed as part of the collection of New York historical photographs. |
The famous intersection of 5th avenue, Broadway and 23rd street is a renowned for many of its historical landmark sights, monuments and buildings including the Flatiron Building, the former Fifth Avenue Hotel and Madison Square. On this beautiful photograph taken in 1903, the trolleys can be seen running along the Broadway line and horse drawn carriages are making deliveries to the busy mid-town businesses. Sections of the original photograph were missing and it was showing uneven fading, but excellent quality and sharpness allowed the photograph to be restored to its former beauty. A large size reproduction print was made from the high resolution digital file. |
The view of New York's City Hall was captured in 1885 on the day of President Ulysses S. Grant's funeral. With the building draped in black and the flags lowered, the funeral procession can be seen coming down the steps of the building. The photograph was scanned at high resolution and the image was digitally restored to bring back the richness of details. After the restoration was completed a print was made using high quality ink jet photo paper. It was to be framed and displayed as part of the historical photographic collections of one of New York's most prestigious social clubs. |
Since 1903 the famous intersection of 5th avenue, Broadway and 23rd street has been the home of the renowned Flatiron Building. Before it was built this was the scene that visitors to the area that coined the term "23 skidoo", would see looking at the intersection from the Madison Square. The photograph was carefully retouched and corrected to bring back the contrast and richness of tone. A large size museum quality archival print was produced from the high resolution digital file. |
The photograph of fencers from the 1912 Stockholm 5th Olympic Games shows members of New York Fencers Club including the future general George S.Patton. With years, the photograph has faded and yellowed from age and water damage, blurring the title and the names of the sportsmen. The photograph was carefully retouched to remove the fading and color cast and the new titles were added, correcting the misspelling of some of the names. |
Dealers, owners and restorers of rare vintage cars often require a build sheet to show the parts that went into the original car. During this restoration project, a duplicate was created of an oil stained, torn and barely legible build sheet for a very rare 1968 Mustang Shelby Convertible. All information was replicated with matching type fonts and colors. Printer paper with sprocket holes was used for authenticity. |
Photographs with missing facial features present a tremendous challenge for even the most skilled photo restorer. The expression of the eyes can change dramatically from just the slightest change in pattern or light. A few misplaced pixels can render the person in the photograph as almost unrecognizable. In restoration of this portrait, extreme care was taken to carefully restore the damaged areas of the eyes and face. Careful blending and shading was applied to make the faces look natural and the eyes to look real. The final image was printed on high quality fine art paper with a slight sepia tone to preserve the look of a vintage photograph. |
This striking early 20th century portrait of a Jewish spiritual leader from Eastern Europe was one of many that were brought to us by those who strive to preserve and protect Jewish heritage. The original photograph was heavily stained by chemicals and mildew and exhibited many marks and scratches from age and mishandling. After producing a high resolution scan, the photograph was digitally retouched and restored to its original appearance including the tone of the blue clay photo paper popular in late 19th, early 20th century. |
A wonderful photograph printed from a still shot taken on the set of early Hollywood movie had suffered many tears, scratch marks and missing parts of the emulsion. Careful digital restoration included a combination of cloning and painting in techniques. Contrast was applied to bring back the era of Hollywood glamour. |
Since it was first presented to the veteran, this Civil War anniversary military discharge certificate listing all the engagements, regiments and commanding officers under which the person served, suffered tremendous amount of damage. It contained missing parts, damage from soot, creases, tears and chemical stains from an attempt to piece the document together with masking and clear adhesive tapes. It was clear that digital restoration of document was the only option to save this challenging piece of historical significance. The document was photographed using a large format camera equipped with high resolution digital scan back and a super sharp German made Schneider flat field lens. The most intricate details were scanned using our ultra high resolution flatbed scanner. Careful retouching removed all signs of damage to the document and missing parts were replicated and filled in. The final image was printed on archival mat paper to duplicate the size, appearance and the feeling of the undamaged original document. |
This award certificate from the American Games is a great example of sports memorabilia restoration. The repeated folding caused tears along the seams and clear tape was used to piece it together resulting in extensive chemical damage to the document. In addition the top of the document was missing completely. The extensive damage required digital restoration as the only option to save this document and make it possible to display. The background was cleaned and all tape residue and minor damage were retouched. The missing areas were filled in and the top of the document carefully painted in. The restored image was color corrected and printed on premium archival matte paper and readied for framing. |
This photograph of the lift off of the Apollo 8 mission was sent to us along with the NASA ID card belonging to one of the engineers who worked on the space program. The heavily faded print was restored to bring back the richness of color in the sky and rocket flames. The ID card was added with a drop shadow to complete this keepsake for framing and display. |
This portrait of husband and wife was part of collection of Irish American family history spanning for well over 150 years. The portrait was brought to our studio in six separate pieces and the client was doubtful that anything could be done to save this precious heirloom. A high resolution 1200dpi scan was made of each separate piece which were later assembled into a single image using advanced image manipulation techniques. All signs of the tears were carefully retouched and the image was corrected to eliminate signs of discoloration and stains. The restored portrait was printed on archival fine art paper in different sizes ranging from a one-to-one match of the original (approximately 11x16), to 5x7s to be framed and given as presents to the members of the family. |
A Civil War US Navy Captains Commission signed by President Lincoln was sent to our studio in dire need of restoration. The document was mounted in a cheap frame with broken glass and over the years the velum on which document was printed and written became warped and infested by mold and mildew. After careful removal from the frame, the document was deacidified and cleaned to prevent any further chemical deterioration and infestation. The appearance of stains was reduced as much as possible with particular attention given to preservation of President Lincolns' signature. Following careful flattening of the document it was mounted on archival board with mylar corners, covered with a custom cut mat and framed in an elegant black gallery molding. |
The official photograph of Antarctic Oceanographic Research Ship USNS Eltanin taken during of or the expeditions and bearing the imprints of the official emblem was badly damaged and suffered from chemical discoloration, numerous tears, creases, missing parts and attempted repair with clear adhesive tape (never a good idea). Restoration of this photograph began with production of a high resolution 1200dpi scan followed by digital retouching and removing of the damage. The imprints of the expedition's official seal were cleaned and the smudges removed. Finally the image was printed on high quality inkjet paper matching the size of the original photograph. |
One of the few official NASA documents that were flown to the Moon on board of Apollo 12 mission and signed by Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean. Over the years this document printed on extremely thin velum which was treated and sterilized by NASA prior to the mission launch, began to display slight warping of the surface, exhibited minor tears and showed signs of discoloration. The document was carefully cleaned and deacidfied to prevent further chemical deterioration. The tears were patched with an archival pH neutral compound and was flattened to reduce the appearance of warping. |
This beautiful portrait of legendary acting coach, Stella Adler perfectly illustrates what happens when a photograph is exposed to household cleaners. The chemical burn damaged the photo emulsion of the Cibachrome print creating an ugly stain and discoloration over the entire picture. Fortunately the face on the portrait was not damaged and careful retouching removed the stain and recreated the damaged details of the photograph. Brightness and contrast were corrected to bring back the vibrant colors and the final image was printed on archival paper and framed under glass to protect the portrait from any future accidents. |
A large print of this lovely sweet sixteen portrait was brought in with obvious cracks, missing parts, and localized discoloration. Our Kodak Creo iQsmart scanner retained all the original detail and color accuracy. We painstakingly took the time to repair all the damage from mishandling. An archival 20x24 inch print was produced that was framed and displayed by the delighted subject of the photo years after the glamour shot was made. |
This unique photo of a rare black swan was reminiscent of an impressionist's painting, but the original print was very faded and most of the color was absent. Our digital restoration involved adding contrast and bringing out color in the same subtle style of the great masters. An archival giclee print was made on inkjet canvass paper to further simulate the painterly feel. |
Shifts in color are most often the result of extended exposure to the harmful effects of the sun. Extreme cases will eliminate all highlight detail, requiring replacement from other sources, if available. This photo of a multigenerational family gathering also had missing sections that had to be digitally drawn in. The color adjustments required masking of many different areas because of an unevenness of color shift in each hue. Missing parts were replaced and the resulting archival print looked new once again. |
This heavily faded team photo of the 1963 New York Yankees, was the property of the bat boy sitting in the front row who was lucky enough to have the photo signed by every player on the A.L. championship team. It is likely that it was framed and exposed to sun damage over time, then rolled up and put away in a manner that subjected it to cracking and emulsion damage. The color was enhanced to match the hues of old Yankee stadium. Cracking was eliminated in all areas including sensitive facial areas. An archival print was produced on fine art luster paper and framed for display. |
Torn, extremely dried, and wrapped into a tight roll, this document presented a real restoration nightmare. The first step in bringing this document back was reintroduction of humidity in to the paper in order to make it pliable enough to be unrolled. After the unrolling, the document was carefully flattened, cleaned and stabilized to prevent any further deterioration. The tears and the missing sections were filled and reinforced with pH neutral archival material. The document was then ready to be framed and displayed. |
Many documents printed and written on parchment and vellum may become warped and shrunk if not properly stored and protected. This diploma dating to 1920 became damaged and infested with mold and mildew due to long exposure in area of high humidity. Restoration of diploma started started with careful cleaning of the surface and the document was treated to kill any spores and to reduce the appearance of mildew. It was also humidified to make the material pliable and then carefully flattened and dried to remove the warping. Up to 2 inches in dimension were gained back through this process. |
The restoration of Civil War document presented a real challenge since it was not only heavily faded and discolored but in addition to regular teas that can be expected on such old document it two layers of paper tape were applied at different times to prevent the document from separation at the folds. The document was carefully cleaned and deacidified to prevent further deterioration and most of the tape was removed to reveal the text hidden underneath. Since the dirt that became imbedded at the folds of the documents could not be removed completely, a digital copy of the document was made and retouched to create a display copy that could be framed and showcased in place of the original. |
The restoration of this photograph, and many others from the early part of the 20th century was commissioned by the New York Racquet & Tennis Club, one of the oldest and most prestigious sport clubs in the country. The photograph was heavily faded and discolored with the corner of the framing mat completely torn off. It was carefully restored to remove the uneven fading and to sharpen and brighten the accompanied text. |