Photo restoration help please

[DebsE]

Hi all,

I have just found what is thought to be the only photo in existence of my great grandmother Cecilia Emmett (nee Moore). Unfortunately the photo is in a bad state as it appears that my grandfather and his brother used the back of it to write a note back in the 1920s saying that they were going swimming down at the creek. It looks like they dripped creek water all over it when they got back as well!

Can anyone help to improve this picture? It's very special to me being the only known image of Cecilia.

Regards,

Debra

[PrueM]

Wow Debra, what a wonderful picture!  She looks like an amazing lady.  Her hair is incredible too 

I'm sure we can do alot to improve the picture.  It's very clear and the damage is away from her face which is always the hardest thing to try to restore.  I can't wait to get home and have a go at this.

Prue

[Jane Eden]

Hi Debra

What a fab photo. Do you know when it was taken? Is it her wedding? The hair is amazing, I wonder how they did it. I'm too busy with work at the moment to have a go but I know you will be amazed by everyone elses work. They are all brilliant.

Jane

[dortmund]

Hi,

First try using a graphic tablet

trevor

[Emjaybee]

One more

[Emjaybee]

I borrowed your dress then added a bit of colour - you know me and colour!

[PrueM]

Well, here's my humble attempt! 

[gippeswyc]

Hi Debra - Looks like your being swamped. From my master, I've fixed the straight edge on the left column base, Filtered out a little more noise, and added a white border. I've saved these with a little less compression for better results so the file sizes are a tad larger 

[DebsE]

Thank you all so much! 

You are all incredible - what a talented and generous bunch of people.

I cannot tell you how delighted I am to see great-grandma Cecilia back to her full glory - especially that hair 

I don't know exactly when the photo was taken but I think it must have been between 1910 and 1920, sometime after her wedding in Fielding, New Zealand. Unfortunately, sometime around the late 1920s the family home burnt to the ground and all photos and memorabilia were lost for this entire family line - Cecilia's photo was one of the only things to survive.

That's why this meant so much to me. Thank you all so much.

Regards,

Debra