Smoke Remediation of Historic Family Photographs After the Eaton Fire: Treatment, Collaboration, and Community Impact

Presentation authors: Madalyn Meehan and Lillian Liu

Blogpost Summary by Joelle Yang

In January 2025, the Eaton fire had taken with it buildings that housed lifetimes of memories. While their house were no longer there, the remnants of a home could be parsed by a client of M Conservation, who was able to save a collection of photographs to be conserved. The collection included negatives and photos from the Ottoman Empire dating back to 1913, 

the only surviving family portrait of relatives who perished, two surviving sisters, and images of the family in Beirut during the 1940s and 1950s. Having lost a previous home to a different fire, and not receiving adequate compensation from their insurance company, Madalyn Meehan and Lillian Liu of M conservation set out to conserve these photos and provide some reprieve for their client. This set forth a truly community oriented project that would support a Los Angeles resident, collaborate with fellow conservators, and enrich the education of a budding conservation professional. 

With much to do and learn from these photos, the collaborative process started early on with photograph conservator Ronel Namde who was able to answer questions and demo treatments. With budget being of concern, Meehan was able to help offset the client’s costs by bringing on Liu as an intern which provided Liu with a project filled with new techniques. Together, Meehan, Liu, and Namde devised and carried out a plan which included cataloguing and documenting the photos, dry cleaning with soot and makeup sponges, treating with 50% ethyl alcohol and water, humidification, stabilization with washi paper, and storage. 

The project concluded with the photos reaching a state that would allow them to be handled safely and have long-term stability. The success of this project brought about an opportunity to form new bonds and an exchange of knowledge in the conservation community for both practicing and inspiring conservators. With this connection, a client who’d experienced so much loss already, was able to have a collection of great cultural and historical significance brought back to them.