Sharpening Memories with Restoration

October 15, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

Gorgeous 1930s

Today and YesterdayLucia is my dear friend and the little girl in the photos she's holding. On left with her mom and on right with her Grandfather a week before he passed. Lucia is my dear friend and the little girl in the photos she's holding. On left with her mom and on right with her Grandfather a week before he passed away.

On a spontaneous visit to a dear friend, I was introduced to 13 amazing images from her childhood. Her memory is so sharp about who’s in the photo, the event and moments of the day. It was wonderful!

I’ve never seen images so small. They were about 2 inches square to slightly smaller than a business card. I wondered about the camera that was used? Did it belong to a rich person? Was photography really so available to the folks in a small rural village or was it only for special occasions?

Original Size Folks in FieldThis original and all others were about 2 inches square and covered in tape residue and torn. This photo was taken in 1942 or 1943.

This original and all others were about 2 inches square and covered in tape residue and torn. This photo was taken in 1942 or 1943. 

This is an enlarged version and the final that was printed and framed as a 5x5.


I asked my friend to entrust me with her tiny treasures because I wanted to make them larger for her. She loves to frame photos. She was so excited; so was I!  I was also super nervous because I really believe these images are treasures. Connecting to our past informs our present and even future.

Mom and GrandpaOriginals at about 3.5 inches tall. Image with Grandpa was taken in 1936. Image with mom was taken in 1938. Originals at about 3.5 inches tall. Image with Grandpa was taken in 1936. Image with mom was taken in 1938.
 

So, not only did this become a restoration project but it became a research project on the old tools used in that time. I’ll share that info in the next post!

When I returned the photos and the prints she was beside herself with joy, pride and gratitude. I’ve never felt so fulfilled. I’ve never had my work so completely appreciated. It was a heady experience.

We sat for another hour with cups of Italian coffee and made our way through more memories sparked by the details we could now both see and explore.

Photo restoration! It’s more than just filling in the cracks ;-)


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