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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: sherro47 on Monday 31 March 14 03:22 BST (UK)
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I hope that enough time has passed for me to put forth another plea for help with my Hughan sisters. I was hoping that someone may be able to work miracles with this 1881 photo of Aline Hughan, but understand if the mission is impossible because the photograph is quite faded and badly foxed. On the back is written "Aline and some of her New Year gifts, 1881. To dear Aunt Bertha." I was not even aware of the tradition of giving gifts for New Year, but Aline seems to have acquired quite a decent haul!
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I am looking at the Hughan album with new eyes, and have just realised that this photo was taken at the same time as the damaged one. It is dated 12 Jan 1881.
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Hi...My contribution.
Carolyn :)
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What beautiful photos! I can't stop staring at them :) She seems to have large hands, doesn't she?
Imagine having to wear that lot in a climate like Noumea, especially those leggings and boots :P
Lovely restore as always from Carolyn :)
Cheers,
China
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Hi...The other one as well.
As China says they are wonderful photo's.
Carolyn :)
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My effort. Di
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So, what sort of loot does she have? The doll seems to have an 1870s long bodice on the dress along with a sort of layered ruffled skirt, and ringlets in her hair. On the floor, a couch with a lace canopy, and a royal horse-drawn coach. Can't make out what the round thing is.
On the table, three ornate boxes and another doll. Beside her on the chaise a round box of something, can anyone guess what is displayed in it? What fun! And a very lovely bit of social history.
Cheers,
China
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Hi China.......How about a box of chocolate truffles, I mean to say is there anything else that a little girl could ever want.
Wonderful photo though...... I enjoyed restoring it.
Carolyn :)
Ps...Thank you for your kind words.
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Could it be Turkish Delight...Gorgeous photos ...probably right up there with the best I have seen.
Carol
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Lovely photos - she doesn't look overly happy does she. :-\ Good work restorers!
I thought the dolls head-dress looked like a crown in the first photo. :)
I wonder what was going on in her life?
Wiggy :)
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My goodness...this is brilliant. I go away for the afternoon and come back to find beautiful restorations and fascinating input. Thank you to Carolyn and Di for carrying out such fabulous work-I can't believe what a difference the removal of all those spots makes. China, thank you for the information re. the NY gifts- I had never noticed the opened box of chocolates beside her until today. Wiggy, you seem to be getting the same vibes as me with these sisters. I am so lucky to have quite a good collection of photos from my Hughan branches, but for years I have found myself returning over and over again to these sisters. There is so much sadness there, and not just knowing in hindsight the sad lives that they led. I am attaching, just for interest, a couple more photos of the girls from the 1870s...the expressions on their faces are not just sad or solemn, they seem to be downright wretched and miserable!
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The previous two photos were of Minnie-the one with yet another doll taken in the month of her 8th birthday-February 1875. These two are of Aline aged 4 years 10 months, taken August 1876, and Minnie-the girls are sitting on the same cover-thingy, but I don't think the photos were taken at the same time. Minnie was four years older than Aline, but in the second photo doesn't look like she is eight,(in fact, we have a photo of her as an 8 year old for comparison) and the photo is backed by different board. I wonder why Aline's hair is so closely cropped like a boy's in this photo?
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Such beautiful girls! And dated too...you are very lucky to have these pictures annotated, because the vast majority of old photos like these have very little in the way of dating clues. And children are notoriously difficult to date, because the clothing styles didn't change much and children's clothing was likely to have been handed down for years, even decades.
And here we have what I think is a handed-down dress. The off-the-shoulder thing Aline is wearing in the 1876 photo is an 1850s style. The shoulder sash came later, and we have seen lots of these, but not the low shoulder. She would be much more comfortable wearing something like this given the climate of Noumea I think!
And speaking of the climate, I wonder how long a box of chocolate truffles would last. Turkish delight sounds more reasonable. I think :)
And yes, they do look sad, but children did in old photos because 1) smiling was not encouraged in photos, children or adults, because a serious look was seen as an expression of good character in Victorian times, and 2) they had to hold the pose for a few seconds. So we may be reading too much into it. Maybe :)
Cheers,
China
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Hi...I was'nt sure if you wanted this photo restored or not?.
Carolyn :)
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How lovely, Carolyn...what a sweet photo.
I found the Hughan family in someone's tree and see that the girls' dear papa died in 1883. How awful for them all :'(
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Thank you for the lovely restoration on Minnie, Carolyn....I only put the extra photos up I case anyone was interested, but that doesn't mean that I am not thrilled that you have improved her so much for me! :-)
China, Allan, their father, and his eldest daughter Ruth, both died in 1883, just months apart. Allan died in November, and in the preceding August had taken a self-portrait and inscribed it for his niece back in Australia (my great-grandmother, Olive Bishop).At the time of his death, aged 46, his daughter Minnie was 16 and Aline was just 12. Their mother was of a very "fragile" temperament...she had several "nervous breakdowns" and ended her years in a private asylum in Sydney, suffering, amongst other things, from the delusion that the Catholic Church was trying to blow up her residence, and that she was being spied upon by her brother-in-law in disguise. Very, very sad, and I imagine very difficult for her young daughters to cope with.
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:'( :'( :'( How awful for them all :'(
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:)
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My goodness...this latest restoration is just incredible!!! The clarity of detail that has appeared really brings the photo to life-previously with the original I couldn't make out the features of the dolls, or the detail of the miniature horse and carriage, but now it is all perfectly clear. Thank you so much for going to so much trouble- I am so thrilled!!!!!
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Hi sherro, I gave this one a tidy and warm sepia tone for you. , Tommy
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another warm sepia for this one. , Tommy
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Tommy, thank you so very much for your brilliant restorations on Allan and his daughter...again, the clarity has been restored to an amazing degree. I have several family albums of mainly cdvs, and so many photographs have foxing that I think I have just become accustomed to the effect. When I see these photos restored and the spots removed, I am staggered at the difference that it makes. :)
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just so you can see it better.....you're free to give it to anyone else if the want to finish it.
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just to see the details better..
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I am green with envy at the beautiful collection of annotated Photos that you have !
I couldn't resist having a play ...