How far can restoration be pushed? Mining Photograph

[Prouty99]

Hi all. I have been having a go with this one but I fear it may be beyond my own skill although just messing with contrast and brightness it does actually give me hope that something may be done with this.

Pretty sure it's from the UK somewhere and obviously a mining scene but dating isn't my forte unfortunately. I will see if I can narrow down the time frame and a bit more info as to who these guys are from the relative that gave me this the other day. This was sent to me via a mobile phone so I presume that the megapixel count is quite high. I do have a TIF version of this (6 meg) but i'm cautious of the file size limits on roots chat.

I wouldn't have posted this anywhere else as from past history of my activity here I know that this is where the real restoration experts are so I hope someone can help with this

[Handypandy]

I've not done anything with it except a curves adjustment. I don't know the forum rules on this, but maybe you could upload the tif to 'Dropbox' and post a link here.
My first instinct is that these are farm hands. Probably fruit pickers.

[Gadget]

Like Andy, I've done very little to this apart from adjusting it in PS Camera Raw and blotting out a few marks, so it's not a restore. I hope that you can post it to dropbox, as he suggests.

I also agree that it's more like and agricultural group rather than a mining group.


Gadget

[Prouty99]

Thanks for the reply. I can upload the TIF to dropbox if the forum allows that, maybe a moderator could clarify this.

i made it about as far as you did altering the curves and messing with hue colour and saturation which does actually bring out some detail, and now that detail has become somewhat clearer I'm starting to wonder about the occupation too. They do look like farm workers don't they? Also I'm starting to wonder if the person in the centre of the back row is actually a female. I guess this wouldn't be out of the question with mining as the pit brow lasses were somewhat famous in that occupation but farming? I'm no expert on farming and the appearance of women in the farming community

I'm also a little confused as to the posture of this 'woman' I get the feeling that she may be a little too well dressed and may be sitting kind of side saddle on something...

Could she actually be in charge of this group?

This photo is now getting really interesting. I haven't been able to get in touch as yet with the person who sent me this who I'm sure could shed some light on this photo so I'm wondering about what era this would have been

I have gone as far as I could with my own efforts at restoring this, I've removed a lot of creases and holes and like I said messed around with contrast etc but I'm sure my skills are a million miles away from yourself and some others on this message board

[Dyingout]

Did see someone post on a photography forum.
It was a family portrait of children possibly 1910's
very badly faded and water damaged.
Someone spent 120 hours on it with masks and gradients
when finished it looked like it was taken yesterday
That's how far you can go

[japeflakes]

I vote for farm/orchard workers. Could be a hay rake or a scythe and not sure a straw hat for mine work. Any Kent / London connection for hop pickers?

[Prouty99]

Yep, that's what I was thinking. Not too sure if there are any orchard specialists on here but there is definitely a lattice frame behind that shed and by the looks of it its actually higher than the shed. Wonder what they may be growing on that thing?

Another thing I spotted was the metal object that is in the hand of the chap squatting to the left. He has a bucket but also something else in the hand that holds the bucket. What is that?

I also ran the photo through some specialist filters and found that the person i'm assuming is a woman at the back is actually holding a long pole that curves to the left at the top of the pole (which I have yet to brush in along the same path the gradient shows in the original)

Also noticed that the chap to the right of the assumed woman has a wedding ring on, and as I cant tell the orientation of her left arm is it possible that she is linking him? Or maybe has her hand resting on his bicep area?

Here is where I am up to so far

[sallyyorks]

They do look like farm workers don't they? Also I'm starting to wonder if the person in the centre of the back row is actually a female. I guess this wouldn't be out of the question with mining as the pit brow lasses were somewhat famous in that occupation but farming? I'm no expert on farming and the appearance of women in the farming community

What an interesting photo. Do you have any idea roughly when and where it was taken?

They do appear to be agricultural labourers, women and children would have done this work as well. But it could also be some kind of small drift mine, where local people could dig out coal for themselves perhaps. There does seem to be some kind of entrance on the right.
It doesn't look like a typical large colliery of the type a 'pit brow lass' would have worked in. Women and children did at one time work underground in mines, but that would have been before photography was common. The 'pit brow lasses' by this time, and children under 11 years?, only worked above ground by law

[Prouty99]

Still not sure about details for the photo yet but I will post what I can get when I can speak to the chap who gave it to me.

I never thought that the object to the right was an entrance, I just assumed it was a shed of some kind ! I'm no expert on this, and I agree that this lady is far from a pit brow lass as I'm from Wigan and have seen many a photo of pit brow lasses to last me a lifetime in this neck of the woods !

It's a pity the buckets are empty, but the fact that most of them have a bucket and a couple seem to have long scythe or hook type things leads me to think that whatever they are doing it's small scale.

I had also noticed that our tall friend 2nd from the left also has a similar small metal container strapped to his belt, and it looks like the one the chap has squatting with a bucket on the left. I wonder what they are for? Seed containers maybe? Chalk to get a grip on things? Maybe even small 'smoke pumps' to calm down wasps in the trees of an Orchard maybe?

Also curious about that hand holding the pole between the 'Woman and the chap to her left. Is that 'her ' hand or his?

I wonder if I can find a painting of a 18th or 19th century orchard with farmers....