Restoring a Jane Reece Original Photograph

Jane Reece was an incredible photographer. Very much involved in the Pictorialist Style that so many of us love today. If you have never heard of Jane you should investigate her accomplishments, images and legacy she left behind. A starting place would be this web site: http://www.wright.edu/~maryanne.kirk/
Also look at http://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/women/halloffame/bio.asp?ID=253 and certainly look at http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/collection_guides/guide_files/ms185.pdf
Jane loved experimenting and one thing she is known for was the use of Oriental Tissue Paper that she printed upon. Our family has several portraits from Jane Reece and one Tissue Print is endangered of extinction from growing crud on the image inside of the frame.

I know my first step is to photograph the image in the double glass frame for preservation (the tissue is between two glass plates and on a swivel C shaped frame so you can see it from both sides or have light from a window illuminate it). So one I capture a good image and can Photoshop that back to life later, but my main desire is to save the original tissue print.

Does anyone have any experience in restorations of such delicate images? Certainly love to start this thread out for this image and for all who strive to protect the fading or fungusing of priceless images.

Will post images later today or tomorrow to give you all some idea of what the tissue pring looks like.

Lee


Attached is an image of Jane Reece from the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame.

Contact your local museum or art gallery and get the name of a professional restoration specialist. This does not sound like a do it yourself project.

Here is an image with the frame on it. Note how Ms. Reece's frames allowed you to reverse the image if you liked the composition the other way. I dropped out the background of this image and did it rather quickly this AM. Please forgive the ruff edges.

The crud is easily seen on the lower part of the image.

I certainly will look for a professional restorer although it may be out of my budget. I have a friend at the Dayton Art Institute in charge of the entire Jane Reece Collection I'll ask him if he knows of any in our area to start with.

The Leica Historical Society was given a private showing this May of some of Ms. Reece's most elegant works. She really was a master.

Lee

One thing to consider is to offer to donate the image to the Dayton Art Institute (or another museum like the National Museum of Women in the Arts here in DC) in exchange for a copy of the restored version. My family has been approached by the National Portrait Gallery about some paintings we have, and they have offered to have copies made for us in exchange for the originals, along with a receipt for the value of the donation for tax purposes. You might actually approach the NPG, as they often run exhibits of photography and might very well want to collect a piece like that. If not, I'm sure they would be able to refer you to a qualified restorer.

Two names that I know of (in Kansas) are Tom Edmondson of Heugh-Edmonson Conservation Svcs in Kansas City (very good, highly regarded professional) and Pam Vanlandingham in Wichita (I dont' know much about her).

Also, check with the Yahoo! Photo Conservation group. Anyone can join and a lot of the nation's talent reside there.

holmburgers said:

Two names that I know of (in Kansas) are Tom Edmondson of Heugh-Edmonson Conservation Svcs in Kansas City (very good, highly regarded professional) and Pam Vanlandingham in Wichita (I dont' know much about her).

Also, check with the Yahoo! Photo Conservation group. Anyone can join and a lot of the nation's talent reside there.

Click to expand...

Thanks I poked into the yahoo group and did the join thing. Update you all with what I find out.
Lee