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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Turtlerunner on Thursday 14 June 12 21:40 BST (UK)
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This is an old family photo of the Smith family from Stonelick OH USA that has recently been received from distant relatives. After farming all his life this father moved his family to the big city(Dayton, OH) and started working as a nightwatchmen at a toy factory. The factory burned to the ground after he worked there less than a week and he burned to death trying to recover some of the finished toys inside.If you could clean it up some we would greatly appreciate the effort!
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I have given it a shot but don't know if I have improved it much to be honest but you are sure to get better ones come along
Cheers
Maureen
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This is an interesting photo - I wonder if they were sitting in front of a portable studio or something? :-\
It if funny - I don't think they were living n an elaborate caravan, were they? But the setting behind the people doesn't look right for the edges of the photo.
I've been playing - but not much good really - and really really sorry about the babies faces! ::) :-\ I think I got father a little more clear - not too sure about the others though!! It is one of those - the more I mess around, the bigger the mess I make!! ::) :)
Wiggy
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My one
Irene
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Thank you all for your efforts! I found the picture to be interesting as well. Its the only known picture of this family. They were a simple farmers family at the time so I don't think they lived in any caravan. Why the portrait was taken in front of the actual studio is a mystery. The picture was taken in the very late 1800's. I'm thinking they could hardly keep the baby girls from sitting still and that was why they turned out so blurry. :)
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Perhaps our family didn't go to the photographer, but the photographer came to them. Could he be one of those travelling chappies who took his scenery with him on the road looking for customers?
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I think that's what it looks like!! Also with the family beig big, they had to huddle into the scene! :)
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Paula has it right.This is a photo booth albeit quite an elaborate one,they were usually just open fronted tents.The other unusual aspect to this is that it's an albumin print rather than a tintype.
Itinerant photographers normally used tintypes as they didn't need developing as they were imposed directly onto the medium,in this case a thin sheet of iron & produced an instantaneous photograph.To produce an albumin print would have required a dark room & developing equipment.Maybe he was a local photographer & has set up at the fair or something like.
This was taken early-mid 1890's.
jim
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Love yer hat, jim :)
I'm itching to have a go at colouring this one. There are so man 'bits' in that background, I think colouring is the only way to sort them out.
As for the people, I always enjoy colouring people.
It's going to take a bit of time though ...
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Thanks for your thoughts on this. Just a bit more background info: It has always been said that the father and mother in this photo didn't know each other's language when they first met. Her family(The Dellers) spoke German and his family(Smith) spoke French and originated from the Alsace Lorraine area. This made research easier for me because the census and other info lists these Smiths as French. This made it easier to pick out the related Smiths among all the others out there. A colorization would be great. I didn't ask for this because I thought it might be too difficult.
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Well, you know what they say about doing the impossible ... it takes just a bit longer.
At the moment I am having a load of fun running round the scenery.
Terroriffic!
;D
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Here's a black and white, will colour it some time.
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Here an attempt at colour
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Helps if I add the file sorry
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Lovely, well done.
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Thank you all very much! I appreciate your efforts and wish you the best of luck in your quests for family history info.
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Thanks for your good wishes.
My coloured one is coming on slowly. I'll get it done for you in time.
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At last, here is a cropped version.
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...and the full picture
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Wow!!! So realistic-Incredible Paula. Thanks very much! :D
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It's been a pleasure, it was just the sort of photo I like to get my teeth into.
Thank you ffor putting it on,
Paula