Great grandfather's photograph

[Alastair Chisholm]

I've just stumbled on this topic and am amazed at what I have seeing!
I wonder if anyone might have an answer to a question which has puzzled me for some time.
I have a photograph of my great grandfather which must have been taken shortly before he died aged 42 in 1894. The picture is about 38 cm high by 26 cm wide. What I am puzzled by is the method of printing - it is not on what I would recognise as any kind of photographic paper - and if you look closely it almost looks as if it has been airbrushed. What kind of technique would have been used, I wonder?
There are a couple of stains on it which I would love to have removed but I wouldn't know who to trust with it - I suppose there must be specialist restorers who could tackle such a job.
If anyone has any ideas about the printing technique or how to go about having it restored I would be very grateful.
cheers
Alastair

[Woodentop50]

Just given it bit of a tweak

                                          Jim

[miagre1]

Hi Alastair,

Best regards George.

[mudge]

Fantastic image 
Just a bit of lightening and a lot of sharpening, to make it a little different
Hope you like it 
Mudge

[mudge]

A smoothy version
Mudge

[mudge]

A slight change in sharpness
Mudge

[Darksecretz]

hi

hope this is ok for you


kind regards

Julie

[PrueM]

Hi Alastair 

This is a photographic portrait that has been overpainted.  They were reasonably common in the late 19th century and right up to the 1920s or 30s.

The thing was that enlargements at that time were not particularly crisp, so almost always the photographer (or an artist employed by him/her) would either delineate the features with black ink and paint, or colour the portrait using various paints.  There used to be special colours made specifically for colouring photographs. 

I have worked on a few in my job as a photo conservator and in all cases but one, the colours appeared to be quite chalky, so I was able to fill in lost bits using a mixture of coloured dry pastels and a cellulose-based adhesive. 

Cheers
Prue

[PrueM]

P.S.  Yes, there are specialist photograph conservators around - where do you live?  I could recommend a directory depending on where you are.