I enjoy restoring old photos as a hobby. This photo is of my great-great grandmother. You can see how badly it was cracked and torn, but with a little TLC, I was able to stitch it back together, good as new.
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Not my family, but a Korean family that asked me to restore this old family photo:
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A Korean girl.
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Today I ventured into Diamonds & Rust in Aldie, VA and came across a treasure trove of old photographs. The owner told me she gets boxes and boxes of old photographs from estate sales which is lucky for me, but makes me a bit sad because they no longer belong to the families that they came from. I wish more people found value in these old photos. They tell a story about a time we will never know in person, but we can relive through these visual documentations. Here are a few that I adopted. =)
I love how the children are sort of looking in different directions. Goes to show you that not all things change with time. Makes me wonder where and when this photo was taken? What happened to these children? Where are their descendants living now?
This one caught my eye because the little girl seems so sweet and appears to be about the same age my daughter is now. I love the softness of the light and the use of studio backdrops and props. It’s a bit of a lost art form. Isn’t it amazing how photography has changed so much over the years? Even the mediums we use today is foreign from what anyone could conceive back when these were taken. Makes me long to use film again. There is something so tangible about it.
I wonder if she was a picture bride from Japan?
I found this one to be interesting, as though they are all prepping food while sitting in a land-locked boat. The lady standing behind the boat appears to be Korean (by the way her hair is tied back low on her head, as opposed to the updo style the Japanese ladies in the boat have), while the lady standing off to the right of the boat holding a parasol appears to be a westerner. A Missionary perhaps?
I love this western woman wearing a Kimono. =)
I’m guessing this is circa 1920′s or 1930′s based on the western woman’s hairstyle and attire. The girl standing in the back left appears to be of mixed Eurasian heritage.
And I absolutely love this one. I’m guessing she’s Chinese, but I’m not really sure.
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Rori - Just an incredible restoration Ingrid, I just stared and stared at it, I am SO impressed! What a treasure to have…I feel the same way. I don’t want items from my grandparents, I really only want photos-and there are tons of them-dating back to the early 1900s.
Ingrid - Awe, you are so blessed! When my husband’s grandparents passed away, all I wanted were the photos to pass down to our children and grandchildren someday. All my mother’s family photos were lost in a flood when she was a teenager, so we don’t have any photos from before that time. Very sad. I would’ve loved to see what my mother looked like as a little girl.
Marcia Hall - Ingrid, it was a pleasure meeting you yesterday. I LOVE the photos you purchased in our shop. I decided to look at your website this morning and discovered you had already uploaded them. That’s totally awesome! Best of luck to you!
Marcia Hall
Owner
Diamonds & Rust
Antiques & Estate Jewelry
Aldie, VA
Ingrid - Likewise Marcia! If you get another batch of photos, I’d love to see them. =) You have some wonderful treasures in your shop!