Grandma’s Vintage Print Gets a Refresh

While on a trip home to Minnesota, I found a vintage print that belonged to my grandmother! As a framer, I knew it needed some conservation work and a fresh presentation. So, I took it back to my Seattle shop for the full treatment:

A vintage print handed down within the family has unknown origin, but remains sentimental.

Both the matting and the frame had seen better days.

The original black floral frame had myriad scratches and dings, which stuck out against the dark background. The grey mat was warping right out of the frame due to moisture, adding to the dingy look.

The backside of the frame, complete with paint splatter from some unknown past project.

The first order of business was to take everything apart to see what could be salvaged (if anything), and to take stock of any unexpected findings.

In addition to the normal fitting nails we often see, I found this interesting makeshift solution.

I found one of my grandma’s sewing pins was helping hold in the backboard! Old pieces like this can have hidden discoveries waiting inside…

This was the back side of the backboard!

…Like this! When I flipped over the backboard I realized it was a repurposed poster from a Wisconsin county fair! I hate that the year was cut off but suspected the ad is from the late 1950’s or early 1960’s.

Remnants of old tape cling to the edges of the vintage print.

I removed the artwork from the old frame and then began carefully dislodging the tape from around the edges. Luckily, most of the tape was old enough that the adhesive had dried out and flaked off easily.

I removed everything I could, leaving only small amounts of tape remnants in a few places.

Here we see the print by itself, with the matting and tape fully removed. Notice the lighter band that runs through the middle of the art - this was caused by a slit in a nearby window causing light to hit the artwork in just that specific spot. The bleaching of the paper unfortunately cannot be reversed; but it is a good reminder about the importance of UV-protective glazing and not hanging art in direct sunlight.

Clear corners are used for securing the print to the new backboard. This solution is 100% reversible and avoids adding any new tape or adhesive. They are hidden under the new mat for a seamless look.

You can also clearly see the foxing line around where the old mat was. Foxing lines are caused by acid present in the surrounding mats. This highlights the importance of using acid-free materials, especially anything that will come into contact with your artwork.

A new mat on the vintage print hides some of the damage.

All cleaned up and ready for the trip back home: acrylic can safely be shipped through the mail if packaged correctly.

And here is the final product! A new black frame was selected that had a similar, subtle floral scroll pattern. The new off-white mat brightens up the composition and hugs the old foxing line, maximizing the image.

This sweet and sentimental piece was finished off with Optium Museum Acrylic, providing ongoing 99% UV protection as well as a no-glass look for optimal viewing pleasure. Lastly, the shatter-proof acrylic makes the trip back home even safer. Grandma would be very proud!

Framing Redesigns: A Collection of Native Arrowheads

This beautiful mount of hand-collected arrowheads was in need of some attention. The initial glue mount of one of the arrowheads in the top left corner failed, leaving the arrowhead free and potentially damaging the other arrowheads around it.

You can see the fallen arrowhead in the left upper corner. The original frame had a fun, native motif but was not conservation-quality; nor was the mat, as the bevel was brown, indicating acid and the associated discoloration.

So our first course of action was to take apart the old frame and reglue the arrowhead to the backing. In this case, the backing was a extremely unique material: real leather hide! The leather was heavy so there were extra precautions taken to ensure that it would not slide around underneath the new matting.

There is wear and tear around the old frame edges, and a few parts where the veneer was pulling back. A new and deeper frame would allow a true shadow-box treatment.

Once the old matting was removed, we found that the leather had discolored under the mat. Instead of hiding this new element under a mat that would produce the same pinched proportions as before, we opened up the design and leaned into the unique extra line.

Here you can see the depth of the new frame, which allowed a shadowbox to be built. The sides of the box were lined in black to give even more dramatic dimension against the grey/brown top mat.

This extra line became a beautiful addition around the arrowheads and acted almost as a second mat. By moving the mat line outwards and adding several more inches of top-mat around the whole design, the piece became lighter, more focused on the arrowheads, and ultimately more inviting to the eye.

The finished piece: a beautiful woodgrain frame with an open shadowbox in shades of tan, black, and soft brown.

The result is a beautifully reframed piece with better dimensions and Optium Museum Acrylic which lets viewers see the fine details of these exquisite arrowheads up close and with more clarity than before: Stunning!

Vintage Frame Repair

We are fortunate to have several staff members with talents that go beyond picture framing! Peter worked on this vintage gold frame for several hours to camouflage the extensive damage. He used silicone moulds to replicate some of the missing decoration in key areas. The casts were placed onto the frame, gessoed, and painted gold to match the original tone. A layer of antiquing glaze completed the repair. The frame was then set with a mirror and sturdy hangers were added so that the clients felt confident hanging this heavy piece in their home. 

Vintage frame repair with gesso and gold paint