This beautiful family portrait was given to me by my Grandma several years ago. It is an 11×17″ photo of my Grandma, my mother, and my mother’s siblings. My darling Mom is wearing the blue striped dress.
This portrait was one of many in a large Kodak envelope. All of the photos were taken by my Great-Grandmother Estelle Duval at her studio – Duval Portraits in Spokane, Washington. Most of the photos in this envelope were hand colored with oil paints by Grandma Duval. She was remarkably talented.
For the past several years – maybe 7 or so – these photos have been patiently waiting for some attention. Well, two weeks ago when I scanned the Telesphore Brouillette book, I also scanned all 28 of the 11×17″ portraits.
It felt pretty fantastic to finally get these treasures scanned. I just needed some time and access to a large, high-quality flat-bed scanner. Thank you, BYU for helping me out!
The only bummer, and it is a very slight bummer, is that many of these precious photos were printed on textured paper. The scans exaggerate the texture and the photos come out much darker than they really are. Here is the original scan:
And here it is lightened up a bit:
And here it is with a little bit of sharpening:
And then finally, with some more sharpening and another layer of lightening:
Which version appeals most to you?
I am sooooo happy to have finally scanned these treasures!
Happy Thursday, I will be enjoying lots of family time next week for Thanksgiving. I’ll be taking the week off. If you are also celebrating Thanksgiving, may I suggest that you spend some time preserving memories? The FamilySearch Memories app is free and a fantastic way to record audio. It can record segments up to 15-minutes in length. Get your family talking about their favorite memories of loved ones now gone and record those gems. Have the Google PhotoScan app ready to go so you can scan any photos that catch your eye. Remember, the app isn’t nearly as good as a scanner, but sometimes, it’s the only thing you’ve got. I hope you have a blessed and thankful week! I am thankful for each of you who make my genealogy experience so much richer. xoxo