After careful cleaning to remove mold, dirt, and tobacco contaminates, this wonderful self-portrait by William Lester Stevens (1888 – 1969) found new life with a coat of varnish that protects the painting and also adds sheen to the colors to make a strength from what had been this painting’s weakness. Most dramatically is the background color which shows a stronger presence of light, and now more accurately depicts what an artist’s studio would look like. The one detail Stevens left out of the self-portrait was his pipe, which we believe was one of the main culprits for the contamination.