RESTORATION, PRESERVATION & ARCHIVING

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Restoration of a Civil War The US Navy Captain's Commission, signed by President Lincoln. The document was mounted in an old Five-and-Dime department store frame with broken glass, and over the years, the velum on which the document was printed became warped and infested by mold and mildew.

RESTORATION OF A CIVIL WAR US NAVY CAPTAIN'S COMMISSION SIGNED BY PRESIDENT LINCOLN

A Civil War The US Navy Captain's Commission, signed by President Lincoln, was sent to our studio in dire need of restoration. The document was mounted in an old Five-and-Dime department store frame with broken glass, and over the years, the velum on which the document was printed became warped and infested by mold and mildew.

The document was carefully removed from the damaged frame, cleaned from dirt and broken glass particles, and treated to remove the mold infestation. Over the years, the vellum on which the document was printed became warped and brittle. A long process of slowly humidifying and trying to pull the vellum back into alignment followed. Time after time, the vellum was humidified, stretched, flattened, and dried to reduce the warping and to align the edges as much as possible.

Once the vellum was sufficiently flattened, the final step was to mat the document using archival boards and deliver it to the client, who was anxiously anticipating the return of a family heirloom.

 

Note from the client:

I just felt compelled to write to you and let you know what a great experience working with you and your company was.
I have a Navy Commission letter signed by President Lincoln. It is on velum which from what I understand is a difficult thing to work with. Needless to say it had seen its better days. I purchased it in a broken frame and glass with a ton of wrinkles in it.
I contacted several different companies, sent photos and my explanation of what I wished done. No one would touch it.
I came to you and you were more than willing to work with me. I can't say enough of how pleased I am with your performance in this.

It's not easy to trust someone you've never met with thousands of dollars worth of documents however you put me at ease and the final product was excellent.

Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Ron

 
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Restoration and reproduction of an award poster from 1951 Bolivarian Games held at the Estadio Olímpico de la Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela. Build sheets are a common discovery by collectors and restorers of vintage cars, but sadly, these vital records are typically found in extremely bad condition; they are often ripped, smeared with oil, and nearly impossible to read. Restoration and reproduction of a photograph of Henri Matisse taken in 1930 by his son Pierre Matisse in New York City. The old photograph of the famous 5th Avenue, Broadway, and 23rd Street intersection digitally archived upon request of one of New York’s societies dedicated to the preservation of the architectural history of the city. To restore and bring back the vivid colors of the happy days, after the photograph was carefully cleaned, it was scanned and digitally retouched to remove stains, tears, and scratches. Then, the colors were applied according to the best memories and the suggestions of the client. Restoration of a copy of Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts, and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space is one of the few official NASA documents that were flown to the Moon on board of Apollo 12 mission. After the photograph was restored by retouching the damaged area and making a color print to be framed and displayed at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. Restoration and reproduction of a Civil War Military Discharge Certificate. This beautiful Commemorative Military Certificate of Discharge listing all the engagements, regiments, and commanding officers under whom the soldier served through the war was presented to the veteran on the 20th Commemoration of the American Civil War. Restoration and reproduction of a historic WWII photograph of General MacArthur and General Eisenhower taken during their meeting in Japan by Tom Shafer. To restore a photograph that became stuck to glass, it can either be separated from the glass or restored by making a high quality scan and digital retouching. While there is no easy fix for photographs covered with stains and mildew, and restoration can be time-consuming and costly, a professional photo restorer can bring those water-damaged photographs to their original condition, to be enjoyed by a family for generations to come. Humidifying, unrolling, and restoring a rolled-up photograph. Those pictures were frequently tightly rolled up, and as time went on, they dried out and cracked, making it impossible to unroll them without causing more harm. Restoration of a 1920's signed portrait of a Native American warrior of the Hopi Tribe wearing full ceremonial dress was carefully restored to remove all signs of damage and discoloration while preserving the intricate details of the outfit and the war bonnet. The faded photograph of the Apollo 8 taken during the moment of lift-off from Cape Canaveral and the NASA badge were brought by the family of an engineer who, for many years, worked on the NASA space program to be restored and combined into a photo collage. A1880s photograph of a Rabbi was restored to be published in a book on Jewish history. The photograph was carefully retouched to remove creases, scratches, and mildew stains.
Restoration of a 19th Century photograph of American tourists in Egypt with the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid seen in the background. Over time, tobacco smoke containing nicotine and other harmful chemicals build-up can ruin paintings, photographs. The ugly, yellowish-brown sticky film will coat any surface, making photographs lose their original appearance and destroying the photo emulation layer. Sebastian Wintermute offers high-quality photo scanning and photo archiving of vintage photographs, photo albums, negatives, and transparencies, providing scans of unprecedented quality and retention of details with the highest degree of attention given to the preservation and safety of the originals. The old photograph of the famous 5th Avenue, Broadway, and 23rd Street intersection digitally archived upon request of one of New York’s societies dedicated to the preservation of the architectural history of the city. Restoration of a fire damaged photograph of the first and only US Air Mail delivery from Long Island to Fire Island. Restoration of a Boy Scout Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Award for saving a man from drowning as a present to the original recipient on his 95th birthday. To restore this ink and paint-stained photograph, first it was carefully cleaned from dirt and dust, and as much of the paint splatters as possible were removed before a high-resolution photo scan was made of the photograph, and those damages that could not be repaired on the original were digitally retouched. Depending on the extent of the damage, a photograph that is stuck to glass can either be separated from the glass with minimal loss or restored by digital retouching and reproduction of the original. A number of rarely seen photographs were digitized and retouched for the publication of a book about Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Restoration of the 1887 NYPD Patrolman Appointment Certificate signed by Theodore Roosevelt during his term as the Police Commissioner of the City of New York. Restoration of a striking 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. Before it was restored to the original condition, this wedding photograph set in the closet for many years, slowly deteriorating from exposure to harmful chemicals used to disinfect and to the mold and mildew. Restoration of an oil-tinted baby picture that underwent additional coloring at the hands of a 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 the baby's outfit. Restoration and digital archiving of photographs from the collection of New York’s Racquet and Tennis Club. A small photo medallion was restored for the HBO documentary film Triangle: Remembering the Fire, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of that tragic event.
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