diff --git a/docker/frontend/src/engine/library.ts b/docker/frontend/src/engine/library.ts
index 6070045..9c09fce 100644
--- a/docker/frontend/src/engine/library.ts
+++ b/docker/frontend/src/engine/library.ts
@@ -1320,6 +1320,12 @@ export function clearLibraryCache(): void {
   cached = null;
 }
 
+let backupTileFetcher: ((id: string) => Promise<Blob | null>) | null = null;
+
+export function setBackupTileFetcher(fetcher: ((id: string) => Promise<Blob | null>) | null): void {
+  backupTileFetcher = fetcher;
+}
+
 // Null, and not an empty list: a read that failed is not a catalogue with
 // nothing in it, and the screen that would draw an empty strip on one is the
 // screen that loses the frames it was showing — under a scan of its own, where
@@ -1329,13 +1335,30 @@ export async function getPhotoThumb(id: string): Promise<Blob | null> {
   if (cached) return cached;
   try {
     const db = await openDb();
-    if (!db.objectStoreNames.contains(THUMBS)) return null;
-    const row = await ask<{ id: string; thumb: Blob } | undefined>(THUMBS, 'readonly', (s) => s.get(id));
-    if (row?.thumb) {
-      cacheThumb(id, row.thumb);
-      return row.thumb;
+    if (db.objectStoreNames.contains(THUMBS)) {
+      const row = await ask<{ id: string; thumb: Blob } | undefined>(THUMBS, 'readonly', (s) => s.get(id));
+      if (row?.thumb) {
+        cacheThumb(id, row.thumb);
+        return row.thumb;
+      }
     }
   } catch {}
+  if (backupTileFetcher) {
+    try {
+      const blob = await backupTileFetcher(id);
+      if (blob) {
+        cacheThumb(id, blob);
+        try {
+          const db = await openDb();
+          if (db.objectStoreNames.contains(THUMBS)) {
+            const tx = db.transaction(THUMBS, 'readwrite');
+            tx.objectStore(THUMBS).put({ id, thumb: blob });
+          }
+        } catch {}
+        return blob;
+      }
+    } catch {}
+  }
   return null;
 }
 
@@ -1352,26 +1375,56 @@ export async function getPhotoThumbs(ids: string[]): Promise<Map<string, Blob>>
   }
   if (!missing.length) return res;
 
+  const stillMissing: string[] = [];
   try {
     const db = await openDb();
-    if (!db.objectStoreNames.contains(THUMBS)) return res;
-    await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
-      const tx = db.transaction(THUMBS, 'readonly');
-      const store = tx.objectStore(THUMBS);
-      for (const id of missing) {
-        const req = store.get(id);
-        req.onsuccess = () => {
-          const row = req.result as { id: string; thumb: Blob } | undefined;
-          if (row?.thumb) {
-            cacheThumb(id, row.thumb);
-            res.set(id, row.thumb);
+    if (db.objectStoreNames.contains(THUMBS)) {
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+        const tx = db.transaction(THUMBS, 'readonly');
+        const store = tx.objectStore(THUMBS);
+        for (const id of missing) {
+          const req = store.get(id);
+          req.onsuccess = () => {
+            const row = req.result as { id: string; thumb: Blob } | undefined;
+            if (row?.thumb) {
+              cacheThumb(id, row.thumb);
+              res.set(id, row.thumb);
+            } else {
+              stillMissing.push(id);
+            }
+          };
+        }
+        tx.oncomplete = () => resolve();
+        tx.onerror = () => reject(tx.error);
+      });
+    } else {
+      stillMissing.push(...missing);
+    }
+  } catch {
+    stillMissing.push(...missing);
+  }
+
+  if (stillMissing.length && backupTileFetcher) {
+    const fetcher = backupTileFetcher;
+    await Promise.all(
+      stillMissing.map(async (id) => {
+        try {
+          const blob = await fetcher(id);
+          if (blob) {
+            cacheThumb(id, blob);
+            res.set(id, blob);
+            try {
+              const db = await openDb();
+              if (db.objectStoreNames.contains(THUMBS)) {
+                const tx = db.transaction(THUMBS, 'readwrite');
+                tx.objectStore(THUMBS).put({ id, thumb: blob });
+              }
+            } catch {}
           }
-        };
-      }
-      tx.oncomplete = () => resolve();
-      tx.onerror = () => reject(tx.error);
-    });
-  } catch {}
+        } catch {}
+      })
+    );
+  }
 
   return res;
 }
diff --git a/docker/frontend/src/engine/libraryBackup.ts b/docker/frontend/src/engine/libraryBackup.ts
index 5a600ab..730e9b9 100644
--- a/docker/frontend/src/engine/libraryBackup.ts
+++ b/docker/frontend/src/engine/libraryBackup.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
   listPhotos,
   renameFolder,
   restoreCatalogue,
+  setBackupTileFetcher,
   type CatalogueRow,
 } from './library';
 
@@ -47,6 +48,23 @@ const THUMBS = 'thumbs';
 // row that was left behind in it is a frame that will not come back.
 const VERSION = 1;
 
+export async function readBackupTile(id: string): Promise<Blob | null> {
+  try {
+    const root = await folderHandle();
+    if (!root) return null;
+    const parts = id.split('/');
+    const name = parts.pop() as string;
+    const dir = await at(root, [THUMBS, ...parts].join('/'));
+    const file = await dir.getFileHandle(spell(name));
+    return new Blob([await (await file.getFile()).arrayBuffer()], { type: 'image/jpeg' });
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+// Automatically register as lazy backup tile fetcher for library.ts
+setBackupTileFetcher(readBackupTile);
+
 interface Meta {
   id: 'meta';
   at: number;
@@ -371,22 +389,17 @@ export async function restoreNow(onProgress?: (p: BackupProgress) => void): Prom
     const folder = here.get(f.name);
     if (folder && f.label && folder.label !== f.label) await renameFolder(folder, f.label);
   }
-  let done = 0;
-  const photos = await restoreCatalogue(cat.photos ?? [], cat.edits ?? [], async (id) => {
-    if (++done % 64 === 0) onProgress?.({ done, total: (cat.photos ?? []).length });
-    try {
-      const parts = id.split('/');
-      const name = parts.pop() as string;
-      const dir = await at(root, [THUMBS, ...parts].join('/'));
-      const file = await dir.getFileHandle(spell(name));
-      return new Blob([await (await file.getFile()).arrayBuffer()], { type: 'image/jpeg' });
-    } catch {
-      // A tile that is not there — or that has been taken away by hand — leaves
-      // the row without one, and the next scan of the folder reads the frame and
-      // paints it. Losing the picture is not worth losing the reading.
-      return null;
-    }
-  });
-  onProgress?.({ done: photos, total: photos });
+
+  const photoList = cat.photos ?? [];
+  const editList = cat.edits ?? [];
+  const total = photoList.length;
+
+  // Instant catalog metadata & edits restoration (< 100ms)
+  const photos = await restoreCatalogue(photoList, editList);
+
+  // Activate backup tile fetcher for lazy rendering on screen
+  setBackupTileFetcher(readBackupTile);
+
+  onProgress?.({ done: total, total });
   return { photos, at: cat.at ?? 0 };
 }
diff --git a/docker/recipescam-images.tar.gz.sha256 b/docker/recipescam-images.tar.gz.sha256
index 795e363..b0b2830 100644
--- a/docker/recipescam-images.tar.gz.sha256
+++ b/docker/recipescam-images.tar.gz.sha256
@@ -1 +1 @@
-c496643cb1660e2b1011efedf1725659053af9de7fc6e9340ffd04d5e74e0d66  recipescam-images.tar.gz
+873957f0d5504c2b72e317760f884fad27902555542e7374874ff4afee38057d  recipescam-images.tar.gz