Author Topic: Lost family photo found: please clean up (Read 4456 times)

Turtlerunner · « **on:** Thursday 14 June 12 21:40 BST (UK) »

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!

mahalia · « **Reply #1 on:** Friday 15 June 12 06:09 BST (UK) »

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

Wiggy · « **Reply #2 on:** Friday 15 June 12 07:42 BST (UK) »

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

Niksmum · « **Reply #3 on:** Friday 15 June 12 13:52 BST (UK) »

My one

Irene

Turtlerunner · « **Reply #4 on:** Saturday 16 June 12 03:40 BST (UK) »

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.

PaulaToo · « **Reply #5 on:** Saturday 16 June 12 23:52 BST (UK) »

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?

Wiggy · « **Reply #6 on:** Sunday 17 June 12 00:42 BST (UK) »

I think that's what it looks like!! Also with the family beig big, they had to huddle into the scene!

jim1 · « **Reply #7 on:** Sunday 17 June 12 11:51 BST (UK) »

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

PaulaToo · « **Reply #8 on:** Sunday 17 June 12 12:29 BST (UK) »

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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