About Archival Finds Prints

Our Collection

We are passionate about bringing the beauty of natural history and historical illustration to life through high-quality giclée prints inspired by the rich tradition of archival imagery.

Our collection spans natural history, scientific illustration, Japanese prints, and historical visual culture. Drawing on rare books, archives, and museum imagery, we bring remarkable works from the past into contemporary homes, making their beauty and historical significance accessible to a new audience.

Alongside our carefully prepared reproductions of historical illustrations, we present MelaMade Studio, our creative collection of contemporary interpretations of archival imagery and visual culture.

MelaMade Studio

MelaMade Studio is the artistic practice of Shoham Melamed, an artist and historical sociologist with a deep interest in the cultural history of science and art.

The studio explores the meeting point between historical imagery and contemporary aesthetics, creating refined visual editions and one-of-a-kind works rooted in archival imagery, natural history, and artistic experimentation.

Our image restoration process

Many of the historical illustrations we offer were created long before modern printing standards existed. Over time, original prints and their reproductions may develop yellowing, fading, loss of contrast, or other imperfections. Preparing these images for contemporary fine-art printing requires care, attention to detail, and respect for the original artwork.

We digitally restore each image with the aim of recovering its original visual character. This process can involve carefully cleaning imperfections, correcting discolouration and yellowing, restoring faded colours, and adjusting contrast to bring out details that may have become less visible over time. Our goal is to achieve a clear, balanced image while preserving the distinctive character and artistic integrity of the original.

To ensure a consistent presentation across our collection, we prepare our images to fit the proportions of standard A-series paper sizes. This allows us to keep borders to a minimum, typically just 2–3 mm on each side, while making our prints easy to frame.

When an original illustration does not naturally fit these proportions, small adjustments to the surrounding background may be necessary. In some cases, we use AI-assisted tools to extend the background slightly, allowing the image to fit the required format without cropping important details from the original.

Our guiding principle is simple: restoration should enhance the presentation of the original artwork, not reinvent it. We do not use AI to generate, replace, or alter aesthetically significant elements of the original illustration. The subject, composition, and artistic details that make each historical image unique are preserved.

We carefully prepare every image with the final printed result in mind. Our aim is to make these historical works accessible in a renewed form, retaining their distinctive character while presenting them as faithfully and beautifully as possible.

The Printing Process

Our museum-quality giclée prints are produced on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 gsm, a premium 100% cotton fine-art paper, using archival pigment inks and a professional 12-colour printing system. This combination delivers exceptional detail, rich tonal depth, and beautiful colour reproduction.

Each print is produced individually to order and left to dry for at least 24 hours before handling and packaging. We then carefully package each print to help ensure it arrives in excellent condition, ready to be framed.