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Restoring and colorizing a historic photograph of Milan Rastislav Stefanik a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator and astronomer.

 

RESTORING AND COLORIZING A HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPH

We may never known how one of glass plate negatives of a photograph taken for an official portrait of Milan Rastislav Stefanik the co-founder the state of Czechoslovakia ended in shoe box sitting in a moldy basement of an old house on Long Island, NY. But I sure was happy for a chance to work on such a historically important image.

Born in 1880, Milan Rastislav Stefanik was one of the most fascinating figures of the early 20th century. A renaissance man who lived life true to his personal motto: "To Believe, To Love, To Work", he was a politician, a diplomat, a military leader, an aviator and an astronomer. During WWI he served as a general in the French Army and later as Minister of War of newly founded Czechoslovakia. On 4 May 1919, Milan Rastislav Stefanik perished when an Italian built Caproni bomber he was flying on crushed near Bratislava, an area of fighting between Czechoslovakia and the short lived but violent Hungarian Soviet Republic.

The portrait of Milan Rastislav Stefanik wearing parade uniform with full military decorations, including the medal of the Legion of Honour, became one of the most recognized and popular official portraits of all times. It graced postcard and stamps, patriotic posters, coins and banknotes, folk art pieces, and even commemorative plates and beer mugs.

With outmost care the fragile glass plate negative of the historic photograph was scanned at ultra-high resolution to capture even the smallest details of the image. The digital image was carefully retouched making sure that no part was altered to distort the historic accuracy of the photograph. Ones the digital retouching was complete, the image was hand colorized, accurately recreating the appearance of WWI uniform and the military decorations, with color accuracy confirmed by consultations with experts in military history, decorations and uniforms.

 
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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.
A 19th-century husband-and-wife portrait came from a collection of family portraits and photographs of an extended Irish-American family with a history spanning well over 150 years. A black and white photograph of Milan Rastislav Stefanik was restored and colorized, accurately recreating the appearance of WWI uniform and the military decorations as they were confirmed by research and consultations with experts in military history, decorations and uniforms. Digital archiving and restoration of the Dakota building photograph was commissioned by one of the exclusive New York City social clubs dedicated to the preservation of New York history and heritage. Digital archiving and restoration of a rare photograph of the Original Plaza Hotel as it appeared before it was replaced with the new building was commissioned by one of New York City's exclusive social clubs dedicated to the preservation of New York history and heritage. In 2009, Sebastian Wintermute was commissioned to restore photographs of poets whose works were adopted by Natalie Merchant for her double album Leave Your Sleep. Among the poets were British Victorians such as Edward Lear, Christina Rossetti, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Gerard Manley Hopkins, as well as 20th-century American writers E.E. Cummings and Ogden Nash. During restoration, pieces of this beautiful family studio portrait were rejoined using pH-neutral archival tape. With careful retouching, all the lost pieces were filled in and tears retouched to bring the photograph back to its original appearance. Restoration of a photograph that faded from sunlight, fluorescent lights UV radiation, and chemicals present in the cardboard frame. Even a photograph that was torn into little pieces and thought to be beyond salvation can be restored to its original appearance with skill, hard work, and a bit of luck. Restoration of a 17th-century map of London, printed for and dedicated to Sir Robert Vyner, Lord Mayor of London (1674), suffered cuts and tears when the frame broke and the glass shuttered during shipping. Restoration of a 19th Century photo of St. Patrick's Cathedral when the 5th Avenue was a quiet street perfect for an afternoon stroll and any place above Central Park was considered to be The Upstate. Restoration and reproduction of a 19th-century American family portrait created with the help of a Camera Obscura or a Camera Lucida in which an image is first traced on a piece of paper laid over the ground glass of the camera. Restoration of a beautiful photograph of young ballerinas reminiscent of impressionists' paintings was damaged by paint splashes and exposure to dust and cigarette smoke. Restoration of a late 19th-century photograph showing a row of handsome mansions along 5th Avenue, overlooking the Croton Distributing Reservoir (present location of the New York Public Library), was a faded ghost of its original self. Restoration and colorizing of a small snapshot of a squad of American G.I.s and their faithful Willys Jeep on the road to the Rhine was carefully retouched to remove the folds, creases, and stains from the surface of the photograph. While it is very easy to 'restore' a photograph by blurring the damages and imperfections and airbrushing the faces to make the photo look as if it were taken yesterday, a true challenge for a professional photo restoration artist is to preserve the authenticity of the original.

 

 
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