From Damaged to Digital – Restoring a Photo from the 1890s

I have always said that my family history research is more just names and dates. It’s about learning about the stories and lives of my ancestors. This journey started with me, my son, and my Dad going through old photos together, so photos have always been a big part of my family research. The photos I have collected through the years gives me a glimpse into my ancestors’ lives. These photos have allowed me to look at their faces and see family traits.

My photo collection is larger than I ever thought it would be. When I first talked to my mother’s sister, Aunt Ninnie, about my research in 2014, she gave me a large envelope full of family photos. One of those photos was of my 2X great grandfather, Peter Hatchett. The photo was water damaged and cracked with scotch tape over it. His name had been written on the back, but you really couldn’t make out his face. She told me that it had been taken some time in the 1890s. I took a picture of it with my phone, placed the photo in a clear envelope, and put the envelope in a box hoping I would be able to see his face clearer one day.

I have been going to RootsTech for six years now, and this is the first year I thought to take that old picture with me with the hopes of finding a company in the expo hall that specializes in photo restoration and digitizing. I pulled out that clear envelope from my family history trunk, placed that envelope in a sheet protector, placed that sheet protector in a manila folder, and placed the folder in my backpack with my laptop for easy access if I found a vendor that would be able to help me.

The first day of RootsTech I found some extra time to walk around the expo hall after lunch with a goal of finding a company to restore this photo. After about 15 minutes I saw a table with film reels, film slides, and VHS tapes, so I walked up to the table and introduced myself to one of the staff, Krista, of Larsen Digital. I explained about my old photo being water damaged and cracked. I asked if that’s something they could restore. She said that they probably could, but without looking at the photo she couldn’t say for certain. I told her I had the photo in my backpack. I took out the folder and handed it to her. She looked at the photo and said they could definitely restore it. I was able to complete the necessary paperwork, pay for it, and leave the photo with them to take back with them to their studio.

Since I left my photo with them at RootsTech, they actually didn’t start the process until that next week. I got a phone call the Tuesday after RootsTech to finalize my order and discuss some details. I received an email with the link to a high-resolution digital copy of my photo within two weeks. The original photo was mailed back to me. I just keep staring at the before and after. I am so happy with these results, and I’m so happy with the experience I had with Larsen Digital. I excited to share this before and after with my Hatchett family soon.

Thanks to modern technology, restoring old photos, slides, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, reels, and so much more, is more accessible than ever before. Whether working with a professional company like, Larsen Digital, or using restoration software, we have the tools to preserve our family history better than ever.