USNS Eltanin (T-AK-270/T-AGOR-8) was a cargo ship with an ice-breaking hull acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1957 and uniquely modified to serve as a floating laboratory for Arctic exploration and oceanographic research. For over a decade, Eltanin made 52 Antarctic research voyages, sailing 400,000 miles and surveying over 80% of the Southern Ocean.
Taken during one of her arctic voyages a photograph of USNS Eltanin bearing imprints of the official emblem was badly damaged and suffered from chemical discoloration, numerous teas, creases, missing parts, and attempted repair with clear adhesive tape, which is never a good idea.
Restoration of the photograph began with cleaning the print of dust, debris, and tape marks. Once the cleaning was completed, a high-resolution image scan was made that was used to digitally retouch those spots and damages that could not be removed from the original. The imprints of the official seal of the expedition were cleaned, and the smudges were removed.
While Sebastian Wintermute always strives to preserve as many historical details as possible, which may include some original imperfections, handwriting, or marks, during the restoration of this particular photograph, he was asked by a client to remove the ink smudges and the handwriting on top of the print, making the restored image as clean and sharp as possible. Once the retouching was complete, the image was printed on fine art paper matching the size of the original photograph.