Restoration

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, so mods please feel to move it

I have an old photo to restore it measures approx. 10x40". The photo was taken in 1917 and is my grandfather's unit photo from ww1. The photo was kept rolled in a paper tube for years and is very tightly curled. I need to flatten the photo out before I can do any other work on it of course, so my thought was to give it a soak in some de-ionized water, and blot and press it on a piece of 1/4" plate glass....

Thoughts?... Comments?....

This sounds like a print from a Cirkut negative.
Museums are often a good place to go to ask questions about things like this.
The City of Vancouver Archives (Vancouver, BC, Canada) has a significant collection of Cirkut materials, some really good stuff about them on their website, and are very approachable.

Thanks for the tip!

I would add for you to photograph it before any restoration just in case something doesn't go right. Also you could practice on a reproduction before attempting the "real thing".

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Dear Lindy,

I would contact the George Eastman House for advice.

Good luck,

Neal Wydra

Neal said:

Dear Lindy,

I would contact the George Eastman House for advice.

Good luck,

Neal Wydra

Click to expand...

+1
Although it is now known as the George Eastman Museum.
If you happen to be near Rochester, that would be the "museum" I would recommend!

Check with the Library of Congress. IIRC they have good resources on the conservation of materials, including photographs.