“Just Back From France on Board U.S.S. Leviathan April 26, 1919,” says the lower left of the photograph. The picture had been framed and covered with glass, but that did not offer much protection against smoke damage. There are vertical ripples caused by the series of nails in the frame that, when the photograph expanded and contracted with atmospherics, the nails held part of it in place. A dry cleaning pad and an eraser removed most of the soot, and cotton tips dipped in targeted chemistry removed the more stubborn parts. In the works is a custom frame, we won’t use nails in ours, and we’ll cover it with UV-filtering glass to help protect this cherishable family heirloom for a very long time. Stay tuned for more . . .
- This is the glass used in the original frame. What you’re seeing is smoke damage.