Quite a challenge

[JulesLK]

Hello

I have a battered and very very dark photograph of whom I have been told is my Gt Gt Grandmother and my Grandfather as a small child.  The family story is that it was carried by my Gt Grandfather in France during WW1 and came back with his possessions when he died.  I realise it's in a dreadful condition and I don't hold out much hope .... but maybe someone can suggest how I can improve it?

Many thanks
Jules

[Niksmum]

It looks as if this has been compressed when it was scanned so it is hard to se any details when I zoom in.
This is about all I can do keeping it close to the original without getting to the guessing point.

Irene

Here is a link to a tutorial about resizing without compression if you want to repost it.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,372537.0.html

[JulesLK]

Hello Niksmum

Thank you so much ..... I can make out the features on their faces now !!  Unfortunately the photo is so small and battered I didn't think anything could be done with it.

Regards
Jules

[PrueM]

Hi Jules 

Do you have the actual photograph?  If you can scan it again, as Irene suggested, at 300 dpi and repost, you may get better results (not that Irene's restore is not good, but she and others will have more information to work with!).

Perhaps you could select just the portion of the photo with the subjects in it, cropping out the background, to make a smaller file size.

Also, any information about the card would be useful - is there anything on the back?  how big is it?
At first glance I thought the photo looked quite early, maybe 1870s, but there isn't much to go by 

Cheers
Prue

[JulesLK]

Hi Prue

Yes I do have the half of the photograph that is left !  It's very small, only 2 inches by 2.5 inches.  It was in an old spectacle box of my Gt Grandfather's which my uncle gave me, along with his WW1 medal and other bits and pieces.  My uncle told me the young child was my Grandfather who was born in March 1908, so we guessed the photo was taken late 1908 or early 1909.  But if you are right and it is earlier, then it could be my Gt Grandfather who was born in 1883 with his mother.

There are a couple of red decorative stamps on back which are exhibition medals awarded to W H Terry by the Wakefield Industrial & Fine Arts Exhibition in 1865.  Unfortunately the rest of the card is missing.  I believe there is some writing on the back, but it's just an impression and not legible.

I will certainly re-scan the photo and change the resolution to the one you have suggested.  Thanks for taking an interest ..... I really do appreciate it !

Regards
Jules

[JulesLK]

Hi

I have re-scanned the photograph in the resolution suggested (300 dpi) and attached it again.  I haven't tried to crop it to the figures (not being that computer literate I'm afraid) but hope it's improved.

Jules

[Emjaybee]

mjb

Do not shoot the messenger

[PrueM]

Hi Jules 

Does the back (the bit that you have!) look like this?
http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~victorianphotographs/pixs/terrb.jpg

I have found William H Terry, the photographer, in 1871 in Blackpool with his wife and family.
In 1881, the wife and kids are still in Blackpool (different street address) and he is in Chorlton, Manchester, still a photographer.

I can't find him after that 

So I'd be inclined to think that the photo dates from his time in Blackpool, which seems to have ended by 1881 (unless he was just away on a business trip, but he was staying by himself in a house).    We would need to know his business dates to say for sure though. 

Cheers
Prue

[Emjaybee]

mjb

Wot no comments