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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Mungbeans on Thursday 18 May 06 05:44 BST (UK)

Title: Photo printed on tin
Post by: Mungbeans on Thursday 18 May 06 05:44 BST (UK)
I have been attached a scan of a photograph which was originally printed on tin. 

The original is 360kb in jpg form or 2.9mb as a bitmap.  My few attempts at photo restoration have been rather lame (to say the least), so I would appreciate any help I could get in restoring this photograph.

Contact me by PM if you would like to be emailed the larger files.

Thanks
Leonie
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: saddles on Thursday 18 May 06 10:22 BST (UK)
Hello.

Can you obtain another scan at 600dpi, if so it would
help in trying to restore/repair or enhance the image.

Mike.
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: PrueM on Thursday 18 May 06 10:50 BST (UK)
Blimey Leonie!!!  ;D ;D ;D
I just read the caption that goes with that photo - the owner is SOOOOOOO lucky the picture didn't fracture right off the metal when he hammered it flat!  :o :o :o  PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSE tell him to keep hammers away from photos, even ones on metal.  You had me - a photo conservator - in conniptions there for a while  :o  ;D

We can probably do a reasonable job on this but it would definitely help to have a higher-res scan to start with, if that's possible.

Cheers
Prue
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: tomkin on Thursday 18 May 06 18:42 BST (UK)
Hi Prue,
              Well that had me reaching for the dictionary.
I don't think that I've seen that word before.
Fun and education at the same time.Love it. ;D ;D ;D
Tomkin
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: Mungbeans on Friday 19 May 06 01:58 BST (UK)
I've never seen the original.  I imagine its located in Canberra (where my distant cousin lives).  From what I can gather he photographed it after hammering it flat. 

The bitmap I have is larger than the photo on my blog and is rather more detailed - its 3mb - and can be dowloaded from here:
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/price/cooper_unidentified.bmp
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: PrueM on Friday 19 May 06 05:15 BST (UK)
Hi Leonie,

The bmp isn't too bad, I will have a go at it but hopefully someone else who's better at cleanups will also attempt it.  ;D

Unfortunately, tintypes lack alot of tonal information so it will be difficult to get much out of the black and highlight areas in your pic, but at least it might come out looking a bit neater.

I live in Canberra so I might pop round and take the hammer off your rellie!  ;)

Prue
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: Emmeline on Friday 19 May 06 05:50 BST (UK)
Well Prue - like Tomkin you had me reaching for the dictionary too. A word I had never heard. One learns something everyday. Mind you - I can have a conniption any day of the week  ::) ::) and probably will now I know what it means.
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: PrueM on Friday 19 May 06 05:53 BST (UK)
 ;D see, you learn something new every day!!  ;D

Prue (conniption-free today  ;) )
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: Mungbeans on Friday 19 May 06 08:10 BST (UK)
>conniption-free today

Can't say the same here.  I have several a day - usually male-child related.

Prue, thank you for having a go at cleaning the picture up.  Its a pity that no one marked where it was taken and who the men were.  I suspect they are some of my Cooper ancesters.

Leonie
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: PrueM on Friday 19 May 06 08:49 BST (UK)
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub... ;D

Here is my attempt, Leonie.  I actually think I made it worse  :-\ :-\ :-\  Sorry about that.
I told you I wasn't much cop at cleaning up photos...I hope someone else comes to the rescue
Prue
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: Mungbeans on Monday 22 May 06 04:53 BST (UK)
Thank you for the attempt, Prue.  I doubt I could do as well.  We are limited by the original material unfortunately.

Leonie
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: tomkin on Monday 22 May 06 21:01 BST (UK)
Hi Leonie,
                  My mind starts to wander at this time of night so
please ignore my musings if not relevant.
            I was thinking that the photograph on the tin would
probably be to commemorate some event. I think that I
 saw some connection with  Rotherham( U.K.?)
             Could the photo have something to do with the serious floods
in Rotherham in May 1884 ( which were even worse than the flood of
1875). A fleet of boats was organised by Mr. W.L.B. Hirst.
              To put a photo on a tin would be of interest to a local
community where the manufacturer would " hope to cash In" on such
an event,
       Then again............ ;D ;D ;D
Tomkin
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: PrueM on Monday 22 May 06 21:54 BST (UK)
Hi Tomkin,
Yep, it could be to do with the flood, though it's hard to date the photo...I think rather than being on a tin, it's just on tin - i.e. a tintype, a common photographic process through from 1850s to 1920s.
 :D
Prue
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: tomkin on Monday 22 May 06 22:09 BST (UK)
Hi Prue,
              My mistake, I wrongly assumed that because someone
had hammered it flat that it had originally been "tin" shaped.
I use to see a lot of them when I was a kid because a major
manufacturer was in the local town. In fact I think that it only
closed down within the last few years. It was very close to the
pub that one of Deadants ancestors used to run.
           Can you tell me why they would put photo's on tin
i.e can you direct me to a site that explains it.
Always a pleasure hear your comments,
Tomkin :) ;D

 
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: PrueM on Tuesday 23 May 06 00:12 BST (UK)
 :o :o :o  Well I've never heard of that before!  That sounds really cool - quite a feat to get a photo onto a curved surface like that...I will have to go surfing the web to find out more.  Might have to eat my words  ;D

Tintypes - good info here:  http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/tintype.htm

Prue
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: Emmeline on Tuesday 23 May 06 00:20 BST (UK)
Don't know about eating your words Prue - in the old days it would have been eating the biscuits in the tin which invariably had a picture on the lid !
As a previous message -  I always like to hear what you have to say  8)
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: PrueM on Tuesday 23 May 06 00:23 BST (UK)
LOL Thanks Emmeline and Tomkin for your kind words  :)

As for bikkie tins, they were usually printed lithographically, so were copies of photos really.  It would be really interesting if there were ever any actual photographs (i.e. with emulsion and everything) on tins...if on the side of a tin where it was curved, the photo would have had to have been originally on a flat surface, then the emulsion layer taken off and stuck onto the tin, otherwise there would be severe distortion at either end, where the picture was not focussed if you see what I mean.
I'm going to do some hunting, to see what I can find out.  In all my spare time  ::) ::) ::)  ;D ;D ;D

Prue
Title: Re: Photo printed on tin
Post by: tomkin on Tuesday 23 May 06 01:28 BST (UK)
Hi Prue,
              Why would you want to eat your words.
Anyway just had a wobbly with my computer. So I went on to e-bay
to look at cannisters on there. I didn't realise there were so many different
shapes and sizes. That was a very interesting half hour. I even saw some from
the said company that my father used to keep his Knick Knacks in. (tempted to
put a bid in). Didn't see any that could be tin photo's. Even the ones that looked like
photos would be some type of printing process. On reflection a photo would be too easily damaged.
       Whoops!! just seen your posting.( you're at it again with the long words)
anyway, one cup of tea (or two) one alphapuzzle and I'm off to bed,
thanks for the link,
Tomkin