Restoration Prints

At Strong and Hardy®, our restorations breathe new life into centuries-old works of art, scavenged from enigmatic libraries and archives at the darkest corners of the internet. With love and restraint, we digitally repair damage, revive lost contrast and detail, and preserve the soul of each piece—never to modernize, only to illuminate. From anatomical studies to arcane botanicals, sacred relics to shadowed mythologies, our restorations celebrate the beauty and strangeness of historical art that might otherwise fade into obscurity. Our library is small but mighty and growing steadily. Restorations are printed on Red River 60lb. Polar Matte paper in our home studio and embossed with the Strong and Hardy logo.

To purchase, please visit the Strong and Hardy Etsy shop or find us at a 2025 Oddities and Curiosities Expo or art festival.

Most of Strong and Hardy’s digital restorations are handled solely by Mike, who spends an undue amount of time breathing life back into centuries-old works that have been dulled by age, poor and low resolution scans or neglect. Like Becky, he scours public domain archives in search of strange, beautiful, and often long-forgotten historical images—though sometimes just as often, it’s Becky who unearths something and sends it his way requesting it be restored and either added to their library or given to her to use in a new art collage.

Unlike other sellers who do nothing more than print and ship historical art prints, Mike takes these relics through a meticulous and hands-on restoration process. Using modern software and a sharp eye for detail, he corrects issues like discoloration, excessive grain, bad contrast, visible scan lines, low-resolution, and even torn or missing sections. What emerges is not a reinvention of the original, but a revitalized version—cleaner, clearer, and worthy of renewed attention.

Mike is continuously in awe of what he finds. “Some of the coolest, darkest, most profound art is hundreds of years old,” he’s said. “It’s absurd that only the richest might have a chance to know about them, much less view or have some, so I’ve been taking some pains restoring and recreating some of my favorites.”

This is slow, deliberate work—each piece is handled with care, and the result is a growing but curated library of restorations that still feels personal. The goal isn’t mass production. It’s about sharing something rare, remarkable, and once nearly lost—hopefully with people who will actually love it.

A person dressed as a secret agent or detective with a top hat, sunglasses, and a smoking cigarette is holding a framed painting of a fantasy scene in a richly decorated room with vintage furniture and bookshelves.

The Strong and Hardy Digital Restoration Process

A religious scene depicting Jesus Christ kneeling and praying, with a woman and children around him, set against a rugged stone background.
A religious painting depicting the mourning of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. Several women, some with head coverings, are gathered around Jesus' body, showing sorrow and grief.

Watch as we digitally restore Hymenoptera – Apis Mellifica I (Tab 13), one of Paul Pfurtscheller’s stunning early 20th-century educational wall charts depicting the anatomy of the Western Honeybee. This painstaking process was recorded and condensed into a timelapse sped up 7x that reveals just how much detail goes into our restoration work—from correcting faded color and discoloration to removing scan artifacts and enhancing clarity—while preserving the original spirit of the piece.

All of Pfurtscheller’s restorations have been a rare collaborative effort between Mike and Becky.

➤ Looking for a print of this restored work? Find it in the Strong and Hardy Etsy shop.

Anatomical Studies

Restoration feature titled "Strong and Hardy presents Gautier D'Agoty and his Anatomical Oil Paintings" with a partial view of an anatomical oil painting on the right side.
Three panels from 'The Largest Anatomy Chart in the World.' The middle panel shows a woman holding a fetus, with various anatomical parts and models around her. The left and right panels display detailed anatomical illustrations of human muscles, bon
A detailed photo of a damaged Framed oil painting of a human anatomical figure, showing muscular and skeletal structures, with visible cracks and restorations.
Close-up of a person working on a woodworking project, with a handwritten-style text overlay explaining the process of creating a reproduction, including printing, pasting, trimming brush strokes, drying, pressing, attaching panels, and applying gold
Comparison of two images of a woman's face, showing a restoration process. The left side is the original, and the right side is the restored version.
Close-up of an artwork featuring abstract shapes in red, black, and gold with a textured, painterly finish.
Close-up of a painting with brush strokes, depicting a character with an orange face and a hood, partially covered by a circular cutout showing a man working at a desk, with photos and art supplies.
Close-up of a Gautier d'Agoty reproduction.
A triptych oil painting depicting a woman with her breast exposed, others with skulls and objects symbolizing mortality, and a figure with a raised hand. The painting appears dark and symbolic, with a label pointing to the upper edge that says 'THE R
Surrealistic painting divided into two panels, depicting anatomical figures with visible muscles, bones, and organs, arranged in abstract and fantastical compositions.

The Dark Feminine

Faith & Finality

The Historical Herb

About Our Informational Sheets

Every Strong & Hardy historical print restoration includes a printed restoration information sheet—created to honor the original artwork, the artist who made it, and the history it carries.

Our restoration work is rooted in preservation, not reinterpretation. These are not altered images or reimagined compositions. Each piece is carefully and respectfully digitally cleaned, repaired, and revitalized with the sole intention of presenting the artwork as clearly and faithfully as possible, allowing it to be seen without the distractions of age-related damage, degradation, or poor reproduction.

The information sheets exist to make that intention visible. Each restoration sheet includes:

  • The original title of the artwork

  • Certification that the piece is a Strong & Hardy historical restoration

  • The print size

  • Key historical details, including the artist’s name, medium, year of creation, and current location of the original work (when publicly known)

  • Background information about the artist and/or the creation of the original piece

We believe that education and context are just as essential as the artwork itself. Knowing who created a piece, when it was made, how it was produced, and why it mattered in its own time deepens the experience of viewing it today. These sheets are designed to provide that connection—bridging centuries between the original artist’s hand and the modern viewer’s eye.

They also serve as an act of attribution and respect.

In a time when images are endlessly reproduced, stripped of authorship, or generated without lineage, we consider it essential to clearly credit the artists whose work has endured. These sheets acknowledge their contribution, preserve historical accuracy, and ensure that the original creator remains central to the conversation.

Like our collage information sheets, restoration sheets are not supplemental marketing material. They are documentation. They are context. They are part of the work. Each restoration we produce carries its history with it presented with the same care as the print itself.