Conservation & Restoration

The most common problem with vintage black and white photographs is fading. Using current digital technology information can be captured that is not apparent to the naked eye. Once the digital file is corrected an archival print can be produced that will reflect the faded pictures original state.

As with black and white photographs vintage color photographs will also fade. Also, as with black and white the information that remains is invisible to the naked eye. In most of even the worse cases a digital file can be created that can recreate the original in an archival print.

Before color photography black and white photographs were hand colored with transparent water-based paint. Using current computer technology color is applied in a manner that will imatate that look. 

In addition to fading many vintage photographs incur all sorts of bashes and bruising. Tears, folds, and missing parts all must be restored and replaced. Given the proper amount of attention almost anything can be accomplished.

No matter what varnish yellows. In a great many cases no one notices. People come to accept the overall color of a painting to be as the artist intended. The two halves of the painting on the left are a work in progress. The right side has had the fractured varnish removed and the difference in color, particularly in the sky, is obvious. Holes are still to be filled and a fresh varnish applied which will brighten the colors even more. Each damaged painting presents its own set of issues and prices must be determined in advance on a case by case basis.