Decades
Restore photos from the 1900s
The 1900s are the Brownie decade: 2.25 in square snapshots, real photo postcards mailed across the country, and formal portraits still made on mounted card. The common formats of the 1900s were real photo postcards, Brownie contact prints and mounted studio portraits.
Postcards from the 1900s were handled and mailed, so they carry creases, postmarks and fingerprints, and gelatin prints silver in the dark areas. None of that damage can be undone on a 1900s print itself, so the repair happens on a scan and the original goes back into a cool, dry box.
Run Scratch & Tear Repair on the 1900s scan first, then chain whatever the print still needs: scratches, stains, faces, grain. Output follows the shape of the upload, so a 1900s print keeps its proportions.
Original on the left, restored on the right; hover to see more of the repair. Made in the Studio from a scan of the print.
Print and file requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dominant process | Roll film; gelatin silver prints; real photo postcards |
| Common formats | Brownie contact print, real photo postcard, mounted studio portrait |
| Color | Monochrome; sepia toning common |
| Cameras | Kodak Brownie (1900), 2.25 x 2.25 in negatives |
| Typical size | 2.25 x 2.25 in Brownie; 3.5 x 5.5 in postcard |
| Typical condition today | Postmarks, creases, fingerprints, silvering |
What matters for these photos
- Postmarks, creases, fingerprints, silvering on 1900s prints
- Faces in 1900s group and studio photos that are too small to enlarge
- 1900s tones drifted to brown or yellow, with the whites gone
- A single 1900s print that is the family's only copy, with no negative to go back to
Suggested order of passes
- 01
Run Scratch & Tear Repair on the 1900s scan
Targets the most common failure of 1900s prints: postmarks, creases, fingerprints, silvering.
Scratch & Tear Repair - 02
Repair the marks left on the 1900s print
A second pass for the scratches, creases and fading that 1900s prints usually carry together.
Photo Restoration - 03
Restore the faces
1900s faces are often small; natural strength keeps them soft and believable, strong rebuilds tiny ones.
Face Restoration - 04
Upscale for reprinting
2.25 x 2.25 in Brownie; 3.5 x 5.5 in postcard is small for a frame; the upscaler adds the pixels with the 1900s shape unchanged.
Image Upscaler
Questions
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