RESTORATION, PRESERVATION & ARCHIVING

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Restoration and digital archiving of photographs from the collection of New York’s Racquet and Tennis Club.

DIGITAL ARCHIVING AND RESTORATION OF PHOTO COLLECTIONS

The 19th century saw a great rise in popularity of gentlemen's clubs that took over the role of coffee houses as places where men could meet, share news, and debate ideas that were much too serious for rambunctious settings of alehouses. By the later part of the century, gentleman's clubs would often occupy an entire building, with the interior consisting of a formal dining room, a library, and parlors for reading, gaming, and socializing. Many clubs also began to offer fitness amenities such as gymnasiums and courts for racquet sports.

Not to be outdone by gentlemen on the other side of the Atlantic, the ever-competitive New Yorkers established a number of gentlemen's clubs characterized by their members' interests in heritage, politics, the arts, and sports.

One of the first sports clubs, The Racquet Court Club, opened in New York in 1876 and offered its members two racquet courts, an indoor running track, and two bowling alleys. But it was not until 1890 that, after merging with Racquet and Tennis Club, the members of the club were able to engage in a game of real tennis on two of the club's courts.

 

The current building occupied by the Racquet and Tennis Club was designed in 1916. The building located at 370 Park Avenue, between East 52nd and 53rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, includes dining rooms, a billiard room, a library, a lounge, a gym, four squash courts, one doubles squash court, one racquets court, and two tennis courts with natural light. Surrounded by tall buildings and glass-clad skyscrapers, the Racquet Court Club presents an unusual sight for the midtown area of Manhattan. In 1979, it was designated a NYC landmark, and on July 21, 1983, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The club continues to play an important part in New York City’s social and athletic life. Each year, the members of The Racquet Court Club are active in the Squash Doubles League and alternate between hosting the prestigious Kellner Cup and a Squash Doubles Association Pro Tour Challenger Event.

Over the years, the club has amassed an archive of documents and photographs illustrating its history and depicting the famous athletes who were members of the club. Many of those items have seen better days and, over the years, have faded, torn, and stained. Digital archiving and restoration allow to reduce the impact of frequent handling and exposure to harmful light on the original photographs and documents and to remove the signs of any damages that may have occurred over the years.

 

To assure the high quality of digitally archived images, Sebastian Wintermute adheres to strict technical standards. Prior to scanning, the original photograph or document is cleaned of surface dust and residue. Scans are done at a resolution of at least 600 dpi, with an optical scanning resolution used if an image is to be enlarged or if the capture of small details is required for fine art reproduction, publication, or digital archiving.

Sebastian Wintermute feels there are no substitutes for an artist's keen eye and attention to the smallest details in restoration. Avoiding the use of “dust and scratch filters” that often remove small but exceptionally important details and contribute to an overall loss of image quality, Sebastian manually retouches every image, preventing loss of quality and clarity caused by the use of shortcuts and reliance on automated image processing and editing.

Images intended for digital archives are subjected to extra scrutiny to assure that during restoration and retouching, no details were lost, damaged, or misinterpreted. Following examination and acceptance by a client, archival images are saved at a maximum allowed resolution in lossless digital formats. Special digital storage media, such as Gold Archival Grade DVDs designed to last for over 100 years when properly stored, are used to record and deliver the images to clients.

 
Restoration of a photograph from 1912 Olympic Games commissioned by the famous New York Fencing Club. Restoration of a photograph of Antarctic Oceanographic Research Ship USNS Eltanin bearing the imprints of the official seal and emblem. Restoration and reproduction of 1963 New Yankees photograph signed by all of the players. The view of New York's City Hall was captured in an 1885 historic photograph taken 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. Restoration of a studio photo portrait of a Russian officer wearing a uniform of the Imperial Palace Guard with a Golden Sword, with which the officer was decorated for exceptional bravery in combat. Restoration of an old photo postcard with damaged borders and missing parts. The postcard was repaired by careful replication of the intact parts of the border and filling in the missing areas. A beautiful hand colorized photograph of a girl was found in the attic were it was left neglected for many years. The owner became aware of the damages just in time before silverfish ate all of the paper, oil paint, and photo emulsion. Restoration of an oil-tinted portrait with uneven cut off border, missing parts, paint stains, major creases, and flaked emulsion layer. Restoration of photographs dating back to the Civil War require special consideration and the utmost care to preserve accuracy and integrity and to prevent any further damages that photographs may have sustained over time. Restoration of an old Polaroid photo that became curled, cracked, and separated from the piece of cardboard backing to which it was glued years ago. It also suffered a severe case of fading and color change, which are other common problems that affect many old photographs. Water spots and mildew stains are common damages on many old photographs. A professional photo restoration artist can repair and remove these damages from an original photograph or produce a high-quality digital reproduction, bringing back the photograph's original appearance. Even the most faded and damaged photographs, for which a client had given up hope of having them restored, can be brought back with hard work and a touch of miracle. Measuring over three feet wide, this 1899 panoramic photograph of Lower Manhattan and the South Street Seaport, taken from the Brooklyn side, became unevenly faded and discolored with age. Sebastian Wintermute offers high quality scanning and digital archiving of important family documents, photographs, and photo albums, providing scans of unprecedented quality and retention of details with the highest degree of attention given to the preservation and safety of the originals. Restoration of a Civil War 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 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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