The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

From a opera-collecting friend who is downsizing I've recently been able to acquire this original Caruso self-portrait (1909), which he'd owned since 1968. It's a great piece (much better in person; it doesn't photograph well in the frame)...Just wanted to share.

What a lucky find! (Green with envy.)

One has to pay dearly for those at auction.

That's a wonderful drawing! Thanks for sharing.
Bob

Adam,

A superb acquisition! Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Regards,
John

Hi.
The brown spotting that is taking place is a chemical process that you want to stop called foxing. It will continue to get worse and i time it will destroy the piece. In Chicago there are some great paper restoration folks and I can recommend one if you would like.
Abe

Abe, thanks for the tip. I will definitely get this checked out for preservation and archival purposes. I don't think things were as sophisticated back in the late '60s, when this was framed.

Resuscitating this old thread...

The friend from whom I bought this passed away last year, and I still miss him greatly.

I thought it was about time to take Abe's advice and visit a local establishment which could preserve this properly, and I just picked it up today (about 8 weeks and quite a bit of $$ later!).

Here is the amazing result:

Wow, this really turned out great. Congratulations on a well done job. I've also had the pleasure of acquiring two of these in the last year and they are the highlight of my collection. It's really great to have them framed and conserved.

Dan

I'm surprised he was able to get as much foxing out as he did, it really looks great. Did the paper darken or is it just the lighting? It's well worth any money spent, as it's one of a kind. I've had the pleasure of seeing this in person a few times, I can't wait to see it now!

It really *does* look like Oliver Hardy!